Emerald Kisses: Continued!
by Kat-the-Echidna
Summary: Dawn was a regular teenage girl. But her life began to turn upside down as her sixteenth birthday approaches...And how could her favorite fictional character be real, let alone, how could he be her real father? I decided to continue!
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_"On the day of her sixteenth birthday, the girl will be brought back here..." A voice echoed throughout the chamber. The voice both quiet, but firm. It had the sound of authority, but at the same time the softness of someone pure. Sitting at the edge of a long circular table was a figure engulfed by the shadows of the dark room and the night. Glowing emerald green eyes peirced through the darkness as he gazed around at his allies who were sitting around the table. You could tell that the figure was a hedgehog. A male hedgehog. Long magnificent quills went down his back, and you could see a touch of blue through the darkness. His eyes wandered around the room, looking at each of his allies as if he was waiting for a response._

_"But what about the girl's parents?" said a more deeper and darker male voice "They'd surely know of our attempts to take the girl back!" There was another figure just on the right of the first one. Another male hedgehog, but different. His eyes glowed a crimson red, almost redder than blood. You could also see a glimpse of his red stripes through the darkness. His quills were shorter than the first one, and they were faced upwards. But you could hardly see his fur...It was dark like the night sky itself...almost black. His hands were pressed against the table as he said his statement. His voice was different from the first one...It had some authority, but it lacked the pureness from the other hedgehog. Instead, the pureness was replaced with what seemed like...darkness. Just the sound of his voice was enough to make one's hair on the back of his or her neck stand. He spoke in a low and somewhat slow tone. His ruby red eyes were glued to the blue hedgehog, but the blue one lowered his head, and his peridot eyes suddenly disappeared when his eyelids suddenly lowered. You could almost see a glimpse of a somewhat wicked grin speared across his lips._

_"The parents should have no need to interfere," he said "They know what they have done when they agreed to this. They know better...besides, what can two humans do?" _

_Suddenly, a more feminine voice was heard through the chamber. "But by now, the child and the serogate parents might have imprinted on each other," she said "separation will not be an easy task, my Lord..." There was another figure sitting next to the dark hedgehog on his right side. She was no hedgehog. She lacked the quills, and her ears were larger than a hedgehogs. You could see her wings were folded against her back, and her fur was pure white that it almost pierced through the darkness. She was a bat. Her lime green eyes gazed up at the blue one, waiting for his response._

_"If the serogate parents put up a fight," he said sternly "then we'll have no choice but to put them down. But make sure that the girl is no where in sight where she could see this or know what's happening."_

_"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go now!" A loud male voice suddenly boomed through the chamber, and the table shook when a fist made impact with it. Across from the dark hedgehog and on the left side of the blue one, amethyst eyes filled with rage and fruststration glared up at the blue one. He was no hedgehog either, nor was he a bat. Long gorgeous red dredlocks went over his shoulders and down his back, and his fur was as red as the dark hedgehog's eyes. His sharp canines were showing as he sneered, clearly enraged. He was standing from his seat, and you could see his somewhat long, but crooked tail. He was an echidna._

_"Knuckles! Mind your temper around King Sonic!" the dark hedgehog snapped. _

_"But why must we wait? I am sure all of you want to bring her back just as well as I do!" _

_"Knuckles, please...calm yourself..." King Sonic said calmly, his voice just as pure as it was before "It would be wrong just to run in and take her away. There's no doubt that she's imprinted on her serogate parents. We must do this as gently as we can..."_

_Knuckles soon calmed down as slowly sat back in his seat. He let out a silent grunt of frustration as he lowered his head and closed his eyes._

_"Your Majesty..." the dark hedgehog asked silently "You said we must wait until the girl's sixteenth birthday, but that's just a week away! Is there something you have planned in order to do this?"_

_King Sonic suddenly went quiet. He had never thought about that. He never planned out the recovery mission. They only had a week before they'd had to go to Earth and bring the child back. Outside, the gray clouds suddenly parted away and revealed the moon. The seemingly small white sphere shined brightly in the night sky with the stars twinkling as if they're trying to match the moon's light. The light poured through one of the castle's windows and illuminated the dark room. Though it wasn't as bright, you could see the figures more clearly. King Sonic sat in the highest chair of the table. But the table was in the shape of a long "C" instead of being just a regular circle. It was silent, and the room was filled with the silent murmurs of the other beings. King Sonic suddenly rose from his seat, and the room went completely quiet._

_"We shall depart for Earth by dawn tomorrow. I want you all to get the top scientists and mechanics to activate the portal. It will give us the chance to use our new abilities to blend in with the humans. We will be there during that entire week. We will try to get as close to her as we can. And when her sixteenth birthday comes, we will bring her back to Mobius, whether she likes it, or not. With that said, you all are dismissed."_

_The other beings rose from their seats and walked out the room quietly while King Sonic remained in the room. He rose from his seat and walked over to the window and looked up into the night sky. The room was empty, or, so it seemed. The black hedgehog was still standing at the door and gazing worringly at his best friend. He walked over slowly, and he placed his hand on the blue hedgehog's shoulder._

_"I know you're worried, but she's a strong girl...she escaped death more than once," he said "I know it's hard for you. Having to give up your own child and not being able to see her grow..."_

_"It's more than that, Shadow..." King Sonic said quietly "What will she think of me when she sees me? Will she believe us? Will she accept me? More importantly, will she see me as her enemy instead of her father..?" _

_Shadow suddenly went quiet and lowered his head. He had a lot of sympathy for his friend._

_"It is late," Sonic suddenly said "we must get ready for our departure. We only have a few more hours before we must go."_

_"Yes...let us prepare for the mission." The duo walked out of the chamber, leaving it completely empty in the dark...The clouds suddenly engulfed the moon in darkness and blocked its light. The room was now completely dark, and empty..._

* * *

**End Notes: **Yes, I know I shouldn't be making another storywhile I still have one that's still in-progress. But this story idea has been nagging at me for quite a while. So I finally gave up and posted it. This part of the story may be confusing now, but the plot of the story will be explained as we progress further.

Rate and Reveiw please, but, like I said on my other story, I'm a new writer, so don't flame and be easy one me.

I hope you liked it! ^^


	2. Meet Dawn

Author's Notes: This chapter might seem a bit "meh" because this wasn't the original text. For some reason, the original text I had for this was lost, So I had to redo the entire chapter. I still hope it's good though...

Anyways, enjoy! ^^

* * *

**_Chapter One_**

**_6:45am_**

"Dawn, wake up! You're going to be late for school!" My mom said as she yanked my black and dark blue striped duvets off my body. I felt the cool air run across my bare exposed skin. I groaned a bit as I curled into a ball, trying to keep my body warm, as well as trying to go back to sleep. It was a Monday morning. I hate Mondays. Not only did it indicate the end of the weekend, but it also indicated the start of Hell that's somehow on the solid grounds of Earth (a.k.a. school). It's not that I was miserable at school or anything, I wasn't getting teased or bullied or anything. I just don't like being there.

"Dawn, you're not staying home. You're going to school." she said. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and looked up at my mom. She was wearing her hot pink bathrobe, pink fuzzy slippers, her dark brown hair was ungroomed (she basically had bed-head, like me), and her hands were on her hips. She had an agitated look on her face as she looked at me. I yawned and moved my legs until they were hanging off the edge of my bed.

"Ok, ok, ok, I'm up. Sheesh..." I mumbled.

"I'm giving you twenty minutes." she said before she left the room.

"Don't sweat it! I'll be ready in less than ten!" I called. With my mom out of the room, I stood up, stretched and yawned again. I turned toward my window and looked outside. It was a beautiful day today. The sky was as blue as ever, there were no clouds in the sky, the birds were singing, and the sun was as yellow and bright as it'll ever be. I scanned my room a bit too. I looked over at my messy desk. My Sonic the Hedgehog comics and video games were scattered across the desk, completely drowning my laptop, which was closed. Yeah, I'm a Sonic fan. I always have been. I even had a few posters of the blue hedgie on my walls. I every Sonic the Hedgehog game and every Sonic the Hedgehog comic there was out there. I fell in love with the blue blur ever since I was a little girl. I looked over at my dresser on the other side of my room. It was no better than my desk. It was messy. I had my blue iPod on it, along with the instructions to it (I don't know why I even kept that...I don't need it), my comb and brush, some pictures of me and my parents, and there was a dome shaped case sitting in the middle of my dresser. Inside the case was a blue gem. As the sunlight hit it, the glowed a little. I had that gem all my life. I valued it as my personal treasure. My mom gave it to me as a present for my first birthday (I don't know _why _she'd do that. Considering the fact that I was too young to realize how value jewels were, and seeing how I can easily lose it). The gem was sitting on a small velvet pillow I placed there for it. If you saw it, you'd say it looked similar to a Chaos Emerald from Sonic's world. And, it was blue. So, just for kicks, I called it "Sonic's Chaos Emerald". Feeling drawn to it, I walked over to my dresser, lifted the glass and picked up the gem. I held it in my hands, and it seemed to glow a little. The gem was as big as my hand. It _did _look like Chaos Emerald now that I look at it more...

* * *

_"Dawn.....Dawn...."_

_What the...Someone's...calling me?_

_"Dawn....Come back...."_

I wasn't standing in my room anymore. I was standing in a blue light. There was thick fog everywhere, and I was alone. I couldn't see anything besides the fog and the blue light. I extended my hand into the fog, but it disappeared and I couldn't see it anymore. Where was I? How did I get here? And who was calling my name? I looked around the empty space, only to see nothing. That's when it appeared...A lone figure standing a few feet away from me. I couldn't see who it was, thanks to the fog. It just stood there, not moving, as if it were watching me. Who was that? I took a step forward, but that's when I started to feel dizzy. I couldn't hold myself up, and my knees gave way. As I fell to the floor, everything around me suddenly went black...

* * *

I was now back in my room, standing in front of my dresser with my gem still in my hands. I hadn't moved from that spot that whole time. I looked over at the clock. It was 6:51am. I looked down at the gem again before I placed it back in its case. I decided that shake off that little experience and get ready for school I took a quick shower, brushed my hair so it'd look decent (I couldn't stlye my hair. It was stuck firmly in place for some reason...), brushed my teeth and put on some fresh clothes. I wore a black halter top, dark blue jeans, black tennis shoes, and long black and dark blue striped fingerless gloves that went up to my forearm. By the time all of that was done, it was 7:09am. Before leaving, I looked back in the mirror at myself to make sure everything was ok. I stared into my own icy blue eyes in the mirror. I was just any other normal fifteen year old. Well...I was _mostly _normal. You see, for some reason, my hair's white. No, not so blonde where it looks white. I mean it's literally _pure white._ I'm dead serious here. It's as white as snow. Another thing about my hair is that I couldn't style it. On top of that, my strands were like quills. You hard me. They're like quills. First off, each strand was hard and sharp. Secondly, remember when I said I couldn't style it and it was stuck firmly in place? Well, the style it was in was that there were four bunches curved upwards with pointed ends. There were only two bunches that were curved downward. The first four bunches are on each side of my head (basically saying there's two on each side), while one of the downward-pointing bunches was on the top of my head, and the other was on the back of my head. You know, if you were a Sonic fan like me, you'd swear that my hair style was similar to Shadow the Hedgehog's. And I bet that if I put some colored streaks in my hair, I'd probably look like a female recolor of him. The only thing I seemed to have control over was my bang. It was a somewhat skinny bang that went down to my mouth. It almost covered my right eye completely, but not really. Once I was done gazing at myself, I picked up my bag, threw it over my shoulders, and headed downstairs. My dad already left for work, it seems. He works for a video game company. Lucky bastard. He said he'd try to see if he could get the people at his job to make a Sonic game especially for me on my sixteenth birthday, which was Sunday, may I add. Only six more days. He said he'd base it off the comics if he could. I really hope he could do that. That'd be the best birthday present I could get.

"Mom, i'm gone! See you later!" I called while heading toward the door.

"If you staying out after school, don't come home later than eight!" she called.

"I will!" With that said, I ran out the door and began to walk to school. I didn't have to walk too far. My school was walking distance away. It was quiet. I like quiet days, especially quiet Mondays. Seriously, on Mondays, something **_always _**seems to go wrong. I was at the school in less than ten minutes. The school I went to was called "Eclipse High". Why it is called this, I have no idea. I went inside the building and went into my first hour class. My three friends were sitting at the desk in the back of the room, where we always sit. Something was wrong here though...The room was filled with...tension. Everyone was whispering and murmuring, and they had worried looks on their faces. I walked over to my friends and sat with them. Like I said before, I had three friends. They're names were Evra, Cyrus and Brendon. Evra was basically the polar opposite of myself. She was a real girly-girl, while I was a straight tomboy. But, we seemed to get along really well, like we're sisters. She loved to wear dresses, skirts and jewelary. She had long brown hair. Depending on what she was wearing, her hair would usually be in a ponytail or hanging. She even wore a color each day. Today, she was wearing all red. The next day, she'd wear a different color like blue, green yellow and such. She does this everyday. She loves shopping sprees, talking on the phone and goes nuts whenever she's near a cute guy. She's always so happy and smiling, and she was pretty. But today, she wasn't smiling. Just like the others, she had a worried expression on her face. Next to her was my other friend, Cyrus. He was basically a little rocker. He's always wearing a band's t-shirt, torn jeans and fingerless gloves. He had somewhat long blonde hair that went down his neck, and he was obnoxious most of the time. He loved to play the guitar, and he was good at it. He and I used to practice all the time. But lately, I've been a bit lazy. I haven't been playing my guitar lately...Oh well. And the last one was Brendon. He was such a sweet, but shy guy. He's really smart, but he likes to skateboard, like me. He's always wearing a t-shirt with a deisgn either on the front or back, regular blue jeans, tennis shoes, and his hair was shorter than Cyrus'. He also had one green eye and one blue eye. I thought it was pretty.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" I ask as I sat down.

"Something happened last night..." Evra said quietly.

"What happened?"

"You didn't hear?? There was a solar eclipse last night around one o' clock. Around that same time, a bright light was seen on the far side of Green Forest. When the police went to go investigate, some of the trees were knocked down, there were burn marks on the ground, and there was a large hole in the ground." Cyrus explained.

"Is that all? Sheesh! You guys get worked up over the smallest things!" I said placing my hands on the back of my head.

"But think about it, Dawn...What could possibly cause a burn and an explosion of that calibur? It wasn't fireworks or anything like that. Plus, doesn't it seem a bit _too _coincidental that all of this happened at the moment of the eclipse?" Brendon added.

"Well...when you put it that way, you have a point..." I said quietly.

"Well, on a lighter note, we have a new guy! And he is absolutely _gorgeous!"_ Evra squealed before she pointed to a lone guy sitting next to one of the windows. I looked over to see a guy who was about the age of seventeen or so. He had somewhat dark tan skin, he wore a black tank top, black jeans with a chained belt, gold wrist bands, white, red and black shoes, and he wore some sort of cape with straps on his forearms to keep it in place. His hair was black, and he had red streaks in his hair. I also noticed that his hair was similar to mine...He had four bunches curved upwards and two bunches curved down. They all had pointed ends too. He also had crimson red eyes. He was leaning back in his chair with his feet on the desk and his arms crossed. There was something about him that looked...familar. Have I seen him before? He had a stern look on his face, and he wasn't smiling.

"You have to admit, he looks kind of scary, but he's still cute!" Evra squealed happily.

"What is it with you and cute guys?" I asked raising an eyebrow at her. Evra opened her mouth the speak, but the room fell silent when the teacher entered the room. Our teacher was talking about some crap about minerals in rocks that I wasn't really paying attention to. I was more focused on what happened earlier...When I held my gem, it seemed to have let me see a vision of some sort. And who was that calling my name? And why was that person telling me to come back? On top of that, who was that person I saw in my vision? Everything seemed too...strange. I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts when I felt Evra poke my side forcefully.

"Ouch!" I said and I tried to hit her hand away "What are you doing that for?!"

"He's looking at you!" Evra squealed while holding on to my arms tightly.

"Who's looking at me?" That when I looked up at the new guy who was still sitting next to the window. We were looking each other dead in the eye before he looked back down at his desk. I kept looking at him, and I could swear I could see him smiling a little...or was it just my imagination?

"I think he likes you!" Evra squealed again. I swear, as high as that girl's voice was, and everytime when she's excited and speaks, it feels like my ear drums are gonna pop and I'd go death. I decided not to even pay that any mind and focus on doing the assignment. My mind wasn't even on taking any notes and doing the homework. I was still thinking about what happened in my room. I couldn't let that go...it was just too weird. I was snapped out of my thoughts again when I felt Evra shake me a little.

"Evra, I swear, this better be good or else I'm gonna--" I stopped in mid-sentence when I saw a certain someone standing by our desk. It was the new guy. His hands were in his pockets, and he was looking directly at me with a small smile on his face.

"You're name is...Dawn, right?" he asked. He talked in a somewhat slow and low tone, and his voice was a bit deep. But, there was something about his voice that seemed...familar...It voice sounded...dark. Have I heard this guy before somewhere? And it seems like I heard his voice somewhere recently too. Ah, whatever.

"Yeah, that's my name. Ya know it or you don't." I remarked. The new guy's smile widened more and he laughed a bit.

"Listen, I was wondering if you could show me around the school a bit more, since I'm new and all..." he said.

"Alrighty then. I'll see you after class." I said smiling. He smiled back, and then turned around and headed back toward his seat and sat down. Evra squealed again before she began to jump in her seat a little.

"Dawn, you are _SO _lucky!" she said.

"Jeez, will you calm down? He's just some guy..." Cyrus said.

"Oh yeah? Well I ber if he was a girl, you'd be acting the same way." I remarked.

"...Touche." The rest of the class seemed to have sped by. It was over before I knew it. Evra, Cyrus, Brendon and I had to go our separate ways. Even though I was in another clas with Brendon, I couldn't go because I had to show the new guy around. As I exited the class room, I saw him waiting for me leaning on some of the lockers with his arms crossed. He walked up to me once he saw me walked out of the classroom.

"Well, ready to go?" I asked.

"Yes. Let's go." he said. I nodded, and the two of us walked down the hallways as I showed him each room and what was where. It was strange though. I started to feel...weird. I was getting that dizzy feeling like I had gotten before in that vision. I decided to ignore it and keep walking. But the dizziness was increasing, and my knees felt like they were turning into jelly. It was starting to get harder for me to breathe, and my heart began to pound harder as if it were trying to bursts from my chest. That's when I collasped onto the floor. But before I landed, everything around me went completely dark...

* * *

Thannks for reading! ^-^ As I said before, it might not be as good as expected because I lost the original text. So, all in all, I had to improvise.

R&R, but once again, I'm a bit of a new writer, so please, no flaming and be easy on me...


	3. Secrets

**_Chapter Two_**

**_1:25pm_**

I don't really remember what happened at the school. The only thing I seem to remmeber was walking out of class and showing the new guy around. After that, I started to feel dizzy, and I fell. I was beginning to regain consciousness, and I noticed that my surroundings were a lot different than before. First off, I was outside. I could tell by the wind. Secondly, I could hear birds chirping, the air was filled with the scent of water, grass and trees, and I could hear the crunch of someone walking on dead leaves and grass. I slowly opened my eyes, but I had to close them again due to the light of the sun. Once my eyes were adjusted to the light, I was able to see that I was in Darkwood Forest. But, I wasn't the one walking through it. Someone else was. Whoever's walking out here was carrying me, and my head was sitting against the person's chest. I looked up to see who was holding me, and my eyes were looking at tan skin, and crimson red eyes. It was the new guy.

"Wh-what's going on? Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"Calm down. You've just recovered." he replied softly. I did not like the looks of this. Something wasn't right...Why would he bring me out here into the woods when I fainted? Surely someone must've saw this happened...I started to struggle a little until new guy finnaly decided to place me down on my feet. I glared at him, my eyes filled with suspicion. He glared back at me, his red eyes seemed to glow as the sunlight hit him. But, the expression on his face looked more like he was worried. I was still feeling a little dizzy, but I kept my footing and my composure. There was no way I was going to faint again, especially in front of this guy.

"Don't rush your body like that...You fainted in the school..." he said quietly.

"If that's so, why didn't you take me to the nurse?" I demanded.

"The nurse wasn't in! So I thought--"

"You could've got a teacher or someone to call an ambulance!" New guy bit his bottom lip. I knew he was trying to make up an excuse or a lie. He was up to something when he was bringing me out here...I should've known when he only wanted me to show him around the school. He was probably the reason I fainted. How'd he do that? I don't know. I'm clueless. But one thing's for sure: he wasn't going to get away with this. not on my watch.

"So, tell me guy...why didn't you get help?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"Well...I...you...I thought..." he stammered.

"I knew it! You brought me out here to rape me, didn't you?!"

"What?! NO!!"

"Yeah right. Tell it to the judge, pervert!" I tried to run past him, but he was quick enough to grab my arm and pull me back towards him. I struggled a bit, but he had a grip on my arm. Hey, I was strong, but this guy was stronger than me.

"Let go!!" I yelled.

"No!! Not until you listen to me!!" new guy exclaimed. By now, there was a little tug-o'-war going on between me and him. I was trying to get out of the forest while he was able to pull me deeper into it. I couldn't pull him with me, so I thought that maybe I could pry his hand off of my arm with my free hand. That didn't go well either. I gritted my teeth as I tried with all my might to get his hand off of my arm. But he was able to grab my wrist of my other hand while during that time. He had both of my hands now. The dizziness I was feeling earlier was getting a little stronger, but I was able to fight it. I saw that I wasn't going to be able to drag him with me, so maybe I had to throw him off me. I planted my feet into the ground, and with all my strength I twirled with enough force to throw new guy off to the side. I thought I had won, but I was wrong. Somehow, new guy was able to grab my arm again and he took me down with him. We were now in a small river that happened to be next to us. The water wasn't deep. It came up to your ankles. But, even so, we still got wet in the process. I hated getting wet. Especially when I'm not swimming and in my regular clothes. I was a bit lucky though. I was able to break my fall by putting my hands in front of me. Now I was on my hands in knees in the river. Most of my pants, my shoes, socks, and a bit of my gloves were wet. New guy wasn't as fortunate. He was sitting on his butt, in the river. His cape, pants, shoes and socks were wet. He looked a bit agitated. I couldn't help but to let out a small giggle before I stood and and made my way back to shore. I took off my shoes and socks, letting the water run out of my shoes a bit. And then I rung out my socks as best as I could. There was _no way _I was gonna wear soaking-wet socks. They were still a little damp, but I could deal with it. I hate wearing wet socks in genral, if they were really wet of just damp. It was uncomfortable and annoying.

"Ugh...I hate wet socks..." I mumbled.

"So do I...it's annoying." I looked over to see new guy on shore and ringing out his socks as well. He was sitting next to me. How come I didn't see him come over? Ah well...nothing to worry about I suppose.

"So...do you have a name?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, right. My name's Shade." he said.

"Shade? Are you serious?"

"Yeeeeah...I wouldn't ask."

"I'll try not to." Once I had my socks and shoes back on, I stood up and began to walk around aimlessly into the forest. New guy--I mean Shade, was right behind me. The dizzy feeling was starting to get on my nerves, but with each passing second, it was getting stronger. Once again, I fought it off, but not for long. My legs suddenly grew weak, and I wasn't able to hold myself up. Luckily, I was able to lean on a nearby tree a bit. I heard Shade rush over to me, and I felt his hand go on my forehead.

"Aw no...you're sick." he said.

"No shit, Sherlock..." I mumbled. I suddenly felt his hand go on the back of my legs, and he carried me bridal style.

"I know someone who can help you. He's in town." he said.

"Well...I don't really trust you, but seeing that I'm sick and unable to stand up, I have no choice but to let you take me to him." I said. He gave me a quick smile before he began to run out of the forest. I noticed that the world around seems to speed by us for some reason. But that's when I realized that it wasn't the world speeding by us, but it was Shade running really fast. We were out of the forest in a metter of seconds, and then we were in the fields, and then the towns. It was only two minutes before we stopped in front of a flat one floor house on the other side of town. Man! This guy's _fast!_ We were in the wooded suburban part. The house was small, brown bricked house. A bit typical. Shade carried me up to the front door, and since his hands were occupied, I knocked on the door.

"Thanks." Shade remarked.

"No problem." I said winking.

It wasn't until a few moments later when we both heard someone unlock the door from the other side. Soon after, the door opened and it revealed the person who happened to live here. He was a young guy, about in his early twenties or so. He looked about nineteen or twenty. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt, blue jeans with a small hole on one of the legs, and he was wearing plain white socks. He had emerald green eyes, and he had long blue hair. I don't know why, but there was something about this person that seemed...oddly familiar to me. It was the eyes...there was something about those eyes that looked familiar...I don't know what it was. Anyways, when he saw us, he smiled sweetly.

"Well hi there Shade. Who's your friend?" he asked. Hold on...his voice...I heard it before! But...where have I heard it? Shade smiled and nodded.

"Yeah...we have a favor to ask of you, Sonnie." said Shade. _Sonnie??_ This guy's name is _**Sonnie?? **_

"Oh? What's wrong?" Sonnie asked.

"Well...my friend here is sick. She collasped earlier. I thought that you might be able to cure her." Shade replied.

"I see...well, please come in." Sonnie moved aside and moved behind the door to allowed us to enter. Shade walked in while I was still in his arms. As we entered, I had to admit, this guy had a nice place. It was very home-like, had a plasma TV, blue furry rugs were here and there, there was a fireplace next to the TV, and he had tan couches and a small glass coffe table in the living room. Shade walked over to one of the couches and laid me on the first gently. That's when he went over to a chair and sat in it. Sonnie came in soon after after he closed the door. He sat on the coffee table in front of me.

"Well, if it wasn't already mentioned before, my name's Sonnie," he said "and you are?"

"I'm Dawn." I said.

"Dawn, hm? I knew you looked familiar. You're Chelsea's and Sam's daughter, right?"

"Yeah...how'd you know?"

"Your parents and I are close. I was there at the hospital when you were born. Anyways, mind telling me what's wrong?"

"Well...Shade explained half of it. It happened at school. I was walking down the hall with him when I started to feel dizzy. Soon after, I fainted. I awoke when Shade was carrying me through the woods, but the dizzy feeling kept coming, and now I'm not even able to stand up..." Sonnie suddenly looked over at Shade and gave him a sort of stern look with a raised eyebrow. Shade looked away and sratched the back of his head nervously.

"Hmm...I think I know what's wrong. I'll be right back." Sonnie said before he stood up and walked into the kitchen. While he was in there, I started to look around a bit. I looked over over at his fireplace and saw a glass case in the shape of a cube sitting on top of it. In the case was a gem that was **_very _**similar to my gem back in my room at home. The only difference was that this gem was white instead of blue. It seem to glow a bit as the sunlight hit it a bit. I heard Sonnie come back a little while later holding a medallion in his hand. The medallion was a clear blue color, and it was in the shape of the gem that looked like my gem and the gem on Sonnie's fireplace.

"I know it seems strange, but this should heal you and also keep you away from the ailment." he said. That's when he put the medallion around my neck. Once he was done, I picked it up and bit and looked at it. It might've been my imagination, but, I could've sworn it glowed when I held it...

"Hey Sonnie, where'd you get that gem?" I said, pointing to the case.

"Huh? Oh...that actually belongs to my daughter." he said.

"If it belongs to her, then why do you have it? And where is she?" I asked. Sonnie suddenly went quiet, and I saw his lip quiver a bit. He looked a little...sad...

"Oh...I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..." I said.

"Don't worry about it. No harm done. Listen, you don't mind if I called your parents really quick, do you?"

"Nah, go ahead." Sonnie then stood up and walked back into the kitchen again.

"We're gonna be here for a while. You might wanna watch TV or something." I heard Shade say. I saw the remote on the coffe table, but before I picked it up, I noticed a Nintendo Wii, a few games and Nintendo Gamecube controllers in a small shelf under the TV. My curiousity rose, and I crawled over to it. When I looked at the games, my heart began to pound with excitment. He had **_all _**Sonic the Hedgehog games for this console!

"Oh sweet! Hey, you don't think he'll mind me playing this thing, will he?" I asked.

"Nah, go ahead. He won't mind at all." Shade replied smiling. With that said, I immediately shuffled through the games until I found my favorite. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. I absolutely loved this game...Even though it wasn't my first Sonic game, I had to say it was the best one in my book. I turned on the TV, turned on the Wii, put int he game and the controller. The Memory Card was already in the Wii, by the way. There was already a file on here. He had a file with all the emblems, Chao, and he A ranked all the stages. Man, this guy's _good. _I could never get all the emblems, nor could I A rank every stage. On top of that, he had **_every _**Chao in each Chao Garden! This guy must either have a lot of free-time, or he's just good at video games. I started a new story, started with the hero's story first (since it seemed logical, plus, I could play as my favorite blue blur) and I began to play. Once I saw the first cutscene, the stage started. I freakin' **_LOVED _**City Escape! I really didn't care that I missed school, and was away from home and in a stranger's house. As long as I had a Sonic game or comic, I was in paradise.

* * *

**_Sonic's POV_**

Before I had even called Chelsea and Sam, I couldn't help but to hear Dawn in the other room giggle and squeal as she played the game. It made me feel warm inside, but at the same time, it made me feel a bit cold. She was my own daughter, but I couldn't get as close to her...Nothing would make me happier than to spend time with my own daughter. I sighed a bit before I picked up the phone and called the parents. Sam picked up the phone after two rings.

"Hello?" I heard Sam say.

"Sam, it's me, Sonic."

"S-Sonic?? W-when did you come back to Earth?"

"Last night. Listen...I'm very sure you understand why I called..."

"Dawn's over there with you?"

"Yes. There's also another matter I'd like to discuss with you...It's besides the separation."

"Well...what is it?"

"Remember the Chaos Emerald I gave to her when she was born?"

"Yes?"

"Well, she collasped at school today. Shadow happened to help her, and she brought her back here."

"Is she ok?"

"She's fine...I gave her the medallion. Listen...she collasped due to being exposed to too much Chaos Energy. Her human body won't be able to take much more of this...nor will her human form sustain for much longer. Her sixteenth birthday is rapidly approaching, and when it hits, she'll revert back to her true form."

"W-what should we do now...?"

"There's only one thing to do: We tell her the truth. And, I also think it'll be best if she stayed with me for a while..."

"I-I see...I'll have to discuss this with Chelsea when she comes home."

"Very well...I'll let you go. Call me back when your wife returns."

"Yes sir. Goodbye..."

"Bye Sam." I hung the phone back up, but I remained in the kitchen for a while. This is going to be harder than I expected...Her birthday is in six days...And we can't hide the truth from her for much longer. There was a lot of things going through my mind right now. But the number one thing I was most concerned about was...would she accept me as her father? I sighed again, but then I heard Dawn suddenly yell in frustration. She must've died on the game somehow. I let out a small laugh. She reminded me when I was a kid. I decided to use this time to my advantage. I went back into the living room with Dawn and Shadow--well "Shade"--and I watched her play her favorite game for the time being.

* * *

**End Notes: **Took me long enough! Here's chapter two! Finally! . This took longer than expected. It would've been up a LOT sooner, but I kept losing the text, and writer's block hit me like, over nine-thousand times.

It might not be as good, but hey, I tried, right?

R&R please, but be easy on me.

I hope you liked it! See ya next time! ^^


	4. Thoughts into Power

**_Chapter Three_**

**_2:37pm_**

_"Hey that's..."_

_"That blue hedgehog again of all places!"_

_"I found you, faker!"_

_"Faker? I think YOU'RE the fake hedgehog around here. You're comparing yourself to me? HA! You're not even good enough to be my fake!"_

_"I'll make you eat those words!"_

I had made some progress on the game. I just finished playing as Tails on Prison Island and was now playing as Sonic in Metal Harbor. Now I was in a boss fight with Shadow in Green Forest. This fight would be a LOT easier if I had the Bounce Bracelet. But since this was a new file, I had to beat him the best way I could. The Homing Attack didn't do much for me since the little bastard kept jumping everything I tried to hit him. So I had to sumersault him when I got the chance. It took me a while, but I was able to beat him. I didn't mind though. I loved this game whether I could beat it as fast as I could or not. I just play through the game at my own speed, enjoying every minute of it as I can. Sonnie and Shade were watching me play, but I didn't mind at all. It's not like I wanted them to see my gaming skills or anything, but I never had anyone watch me play my games either. It was a bit of a strange feeling.

"Hey Dawn, mind if I ask you a quick question?" Sonnie suddenly asked.

"Sure." I replied, not really paying attention to him since I was trying to get to the goal in Green Forest as fast as I could, as well as find one of Sonic's upgrade in this stage since I never found it.

"Well...I talked to your parents and all, and we came to a sort of agreement." he said.

"Well, what is it?" I asked.

"Since I'm close to your parents, but we never met each other, we thought it'll be a good idea if you...let's say, spend a few days with me?"

"Why?"

"Well, they made me your God-Father. But since I wasn't here for a long time, we were never able to spend time together. So we thought it'll be a good if we spent a few days with each other. Especially since your birthday is coming up and all..."

"It doesn't seem too bad I guess..."

"Really? Great! I'll call your parents back. We wanted to get your approval before we did anything."

"Alrighty then." Sonnie left the living room again and went back into the kitchen. It wasn't like I wasn't paying him any attention, but I was too involved in the game. I just didn't say anything just to make him, y'know, be quiet so I could keep playing. I thought it was a cool idea that he was my God-Father and all, but I never knew him. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to meet him. It looks like he might be a Sonic fan, like me. I heard Sonnie in the other room on the phone. I heard him talking to my parents. They said something about them helping me pack up some of my stuff so I can stay over here. I didn't really mind. He seems like a nice guy. I was now in the desert area of the game. I was playing as Tails going through Hidden Base. I had racked up a lot of combos with the shooting mechanic. I was hoping I could possibly A rank it. Any other time, I always get a B rank, a C rank, and sometimes a D rank when I'm not at my best. It wasn't too long before Sonnie reemerged from the kitchen with a smile on his face.

"I have good news! Your dad is on his way. He wants you to come home and pack up your stuff so you can stay for the rest of the week." he said.

"Sweet! Wait, will you be able to take me to school?" I asked.

"Actually...it took some heavy convincing, but we're gonna let you stay home from school all week."

"Are you serious??"

"You bet!"

"Awesome!!! No school for a whole week? My birthday came early!" I became so preoccupied from the news I heard, that I actually dropped the controller and completely forgot to pause the game. My attention went back to it when I heard Tails go "Sonic!!" as he sank into the quicksand. I didn't really mind. I had like, over thirty lives right now. The only thing that kind of ticked me off was that I was close to finishing the stage when I died. Ah well. I can always do it over. Besides, by the time my dad got here, I'd finish the stage and be playing as Sonic. I replayed the stage, and by the time I was done, my dad was already here. Now I was on the Pyramid Cave stage. I loved that stage. Not only did it have kickass music, and you can get my favorite upgrade for Sonic, but it happens to be one of the funnest levels in the game. Sonnie said I could pause the game and leave it on until I came back. I thanked him before I ran out to my dad's car and got in. I was really eager to get back. That's when my dad soon came back after talking to Sonnie a bit. He got into the car, and we drove off.

"So, looking forward to your stay with Sonnie?" he asked.

"You bet! I can't believe he's my God-Father, but I never met him..." I said.

"Well...Sonnie had to go on a long trip when you were born. He just got back." my dad said.

"Where did he go?"

"It's....hard to explain. He had to be called back to his home town for something important. I'm not sure what it was."

"Oh. Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much." My dad and I kept talking on the way home. As soon as I got there, I ran up to my room, got out my suitcase and began to pack up my clothes, my comb and brush, and other necessities. I emptied out my bookbag of my extra notebooks, paper and pencils (since I wasn't going to school for the whole week...what was the point?), and put in all my Sonic the Hedgehog comics, my Nintendo DS (since there are some Sonic games that can be played on that thing), and my journal (hey, I needed that thing). I also packed up my laptop. It'll come in handy. I had everything I needed, except for one more thing. I had to take my gem with me. There was no way I was leaving that thing here while I was gone for a week. I took all my bags downstairs and let my dad load them into the car. That's when I ran back up to my room to get my gem. There was also something else I forgot to mention before. I wanted to take the gem with me, but I couldn't leave without its case. So, all I had to do was place my hands under the case, but above the pillow, and the half-sphere suddenly lifted into the air. The gem didn't fall out though, despite not having the pillow underneath it. Instead, the gem floated in the sphere, and then the half of the case that wasn't there, seemed to have regenerated somehow, and it became a full sphere. The gem didn't even fall either. I just stayed perfectly suspended in the air. Even if you shook it as hard as you could, the gem wouldn't move at all. I don't even see how the case could regenerate a part of it that wasn't even there. But I never told my parents about it. I decided to keep it a secret. Now holding my new sphere, I went back downstairs and out the door. My dad drove me back over to Sonnie's house, and I couldn't wait for the fun to begin.

* * *

**_3:51pm_**

"I still can't believe you're able to stay out of school for a whole week!"

"I know right? It's hard to believe that my parents would let me stay out too." I was in Sonnie's living room still playing Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. I had finished Pyramid Cave with Sonic, and was now doing Death Chamber with Knuckles. I hated this stage. It had good music and all, but it's so difficult to find the keys in this area. I didn't even care about how much time I took to do the stage. I had the Air Necklace for Knuckles I had got in the Aquatic Mine when I was doing the other mission. I loved to explore the underwater part of this area you can't really access. I was sitting on a blue bean-bag chair talking on my cell phone with Evra and Brendon. We were talking on a three-way. Cyrus couldn't talk to us because he had guitar practice. Sonnie had also put all my luggage in a guest room that was on the other side of the living room.

"How long are you staying with this guy again?" Brendon asked.

"The whole week. I'll probably leave after my birthday, but I'm not sure." I replied.

"You're sooooo lucky! Not only can you stay out of school, but you're also staying with a _hot _guy!" Evra squealed.

"You mean Shade? C'mon, he's just some guy..."

"His name is Shade?" Brendon asked.

"Yeah."

"How do you know?" Evra asked.

"Uh, he told me. Duh!"

"Why is he living there anyway?" Brendon asked.

"He's Sonnie's roommate. I don't know how that's possible, considering that Shade's like seventeen and Sonnie is like...twenty. They said they're long time friends, so it sounds reasonable."

"Hey Dawn, the food's ready. Wanna come and eat?" Shade asked as he poked his head out of the kitchen.

"I'll be there in a sec!" I called. "Hey guys, I'll have to call you both back. I gotta eat."

"Ok Dawn. Call us back soon! I wanna know all about this!" said Evra.

"We'll talk to you later Dawn. Have fun!" I heard Brendon say. They both hung up, and I put my phone next to the bean-bag chair before I paused the game, got up and went into the kitchen. Shade was sitting at the kitchen table eating what looked like a bowl of chili. He had some crackers sitting next to the bowl on a napkin. Sonnie was standing over the stove and in front of a large stew pot.

"I hope you like chili, 'cause that's what we're havin'." said Sonnie.

"I love chili. Especially if it's a chili cheese dog." I replied before walking up to the stove. There was a large pot of chili on one of the eyes, and next to it was a pot of hot dogs. The smell of the chili was intoxicating. I could smell the spices, and it made my mouth water. I took a plate and got my food before I sat back down at the table, with Sonnie behind me. I had two chili dogs topped with cheese and sour cream (don't ask why I put sour cream on it...It tastes good to me). Sonnie had just a plain chili dog while Shade ate a regular bowl of chili. While we ate, Sonnie, Shade and I began to talk a bit. Just as I thought, Sonnie was a Sonic fan like me, so was Shade. That's why had styled his hair the way it is. He really like Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonnie, on the other hand, was a bit different. Even though his hair was blue, he didn't dye it. It was his natural hair color. I wonder how that happened..? I also found out that Sonnie had never read any of the comics, but he had and played all of the games. I said that I had all the comics up to date, and I'll let him read him if he wanted to. He obliged, so he'll read the comics while i'm playing the game. Shade a was a little quiet though. He didn't have much to say while me and Sonnie talked. It seemed like we were long lost friends or something. We had a lot in common. We both like to skateboard, we both like to play the guitar, for some reason we had similar gems that we named, and we're both Sonic fans! After we were done eating, I went back to my room and got the first issue of the Sonic the Hedgehog comics and gave it to Sonnie. I also brought out my whole bag (since carrying a stack of comics isn't as easy as it looks...Especially if you have like, over a hundred of them) into the living room so Sonnie could had easier access to the rest of the comics. Shade had to leave for the time being. He said he had some friends he was going to meet. I didn't think nothing of it. I just kept playing my game. The rest of the day went by pretty fast. The day was over before I knew it. Even though I was out of school, I was feeling really tired. Sonnie said I could've stayed up as long as I wanted, but I insisted that I'd go to bed early today. I took a quick shower, put on some fresh pajamas and went to bed. I tried to go to sleep, but I kept hearing something like whispering or something. I thought it was Sonnie in the other room on the phone or something, but it wasn't...I was hearing a voice...inside my head it sounded like. I tried to ignore it, but the whispering kept getting louder and louder. It kept me up.

_"I just want my daughter back...That's all I want..." _Hold on...that voice...was that Sonnie?! I sat up in bed and looked around the room. The dark room was lit up a bit with a faint blue light. I looked over on the dresser to see my gem glowing. Curious, I got out of bed and went over to the dresser. The case was still in its sphere form, but all I had to do was lightly tap the top of it, and half of the sphere disintegrated until it was like a bowl. The gem remained suspended in the air until I picked it up. I held the gem in my hand, and it kept glowing. As I continued to look into it, the light grew brighter until I saw a figure in the light. _It was Sonnie! _He was in his room sitting on his bed. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, gray sweat pants and white socks. The bed was basically untouched. The duvets weren't pulled back, and the pillows were still fluffy. One of his arms were resting on one of his knees, and his head was lowered. And I could've sworn that I saw a single tear roll down his cheek.

_"She won't accept me...She'll never believe that I'm her father...how can I tell her the truth?" _Not only could I see Sonnie in his room, but I could also _hear _him! How is this even possible? The only thing that has that kind of power to do things like this were......_Chaos Emeralds..._Could it be? Could my gem be an **_actual _**Chaos Emerald? But how could a Chaos Emerald get here?! In fact, how could I get my hands on it?! Wait a minute...If this is a Chaos Emerald...then does that mean Sonnie has a Chaos Emerald too?! But how could **_he _**get his hands on one?!

"S-Sonnie..." I suddenly said without trying to. Sonnie's head suddenly heard up and he looked around the room a bit. It looked like her heard me. Uh oh...

"D-Dawn? Is that you..?" I heard him say. I froze. He could hear me! But...should I reply back? I wasn't sure. But that's when I saw Sonnie's gem in the cubic case on the dresser next to his bed. So _that's _why I can hear him and why he can hear me! These must be Chaos Emeralds...but, how? So many questions to this... That's when I saw Sonnie get out of bed and he was on his way here. I didn't have enough time to put my gem back in the case, but I had enough time to put the case back on the dresser and get back to bed. All I could do was sit up on it. I couldn't lay down and pretend to sleep since by the time I got to my bed, Sonnie was already in the room. He looked directly at me, and I looked back at him.

"I heard you..." he said as he entered.

"I could tell." I said, clutching my gem a little tighter. Sonnie walked over and sat next to me. He placed his hand on my back and rubbed it a bit.

"I'm guessing by now that you figured out that the gem you own isn't a regular gem..." he said.

"Is it...is it a...Chaos Emerald?" I asked, a bit afraid of his response.

"I won't lie to you. What you're holding right now is an actual Chaos Emerald." he said. "And you know who's the one person who can possess these, right?"

"Only...Sonic can have these, along with the other Sonic characters..."

"Exactly."

"But...I don't understand. What does it mean?"

"You don't see it? I'll give you a hint. Think of my name, and then my appearence." It sounded strange, but I decided it's best for me to do so. Well, his hair is blue, he has emerald green eyes...Wait a minute...Sonnie...Sonnie is...no...it can't be! It's impossible!! **_Sonnie is Sonic!!_**

* * *

**End Notes: **Eeeeee!! Chapter three is up! w I hope you all like it...

The ending might be a bit crappy, but I'm still trying. I'm hoping this series is good.

R&R please, but no flaming and be nice...Thanks! ^^


	5. The Truth Revealed

**Author's Notes: **Arrrrrgh!! I can't believe I was spelling "surrogate" wrong this whole time! I feel like an idiot! . Anyways, I'm trying...I'm trying very hard...D: I kind of wish that there wouldn't be a lot of guys reading this...This fic was supposedly made for the female audience...Ah well.

The one and ONLY character I really own in this fic is Dawn.

Sonic and Co. belong to: SEGA and possibly Archie. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! ^^

* * *

**_Chapter Four_**

**_10:30pm_**

I'm dreaming. I _have _to be dreaming. This isn't real...None of this is true...it can't be...Maybe he's just pulling my leg. Yeah. He has to be...Or maybe the dizziness I felt earlier is causing me to hallucinate. I couldn't even look up at Sonnie anymore. I could only look down at my gem...or, my Chaos Emerald. Should I believe him? Is he really telling the truth? I had so many thoughts running through my mind right now...I didn't know what to think at this point.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Sonnie suddenly asked.

"Yeah but...I don't know if I should believe it or not..." I said quietly.

"Here...I'll prove it to you..." Sonnie stood up and took a few steps back. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a medallion that wasn't visible to me before. It was blue, and it was a kind of spiral wind symbol it seems. As Sonnie held the chain, the medallion began to glow a blue light. Soon after, the light engulfed Sonnie's body, and it change shape. When the light subsided, I nearly had a heart-attack. There he was...standing in front of me...the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog! I _am _dreaming! There's absolutely _no way _this can be happening! He was here, in the same room with me, in the flesh! The blue fur, those gorgeous green eyes, his peach arms and stomach, those long beautiful quills, that big, cute nose and his cute little ears...I have to admit. Even though I'm a tomboy and somewhat of a tough-girl, it was very hard for me to hold back the loudest fangirlish scream you would ever hear. Sonic walked back over to the bed and sat next to me.

"Well? Do you believe me now?" he asked.

"I--you--it can't--how..." I stammered.

"I know it's hard for you to believe...but, here I am." he said, winking a bit.

"W-wait...if you're here...then does that mean...?"

"Yes. The others are here with me as well."

"So...Shade...is Shadow?"

"Exactly." I had to keep myself from fainting. This was unbelievable!! It's not real, none of this is. I'm dreaming, I know I am...Ah, who am I kidding? I knew this was real...I couldn't deny it anymore. Everything was right in front of me. I owned a Chaos Emerald for years now. But...there were a few things I didn't quite understand. First off, did my parents _know _that Sonnie was actually Sonic when they made him my God-Father? If so, then why didn't they tell me? And why would my parents give me a Chaos Emerald? Maybe they didn't know what it was at the time...But, for some reason, I'm starting to feel like they knew. It wasn't long before my excitement began to slowly turn into hurt and a bit of betrayal. Why wouldn't my parents tell me these things? In fact, why wouldn't they let me interact with my own God-Father? I mean, I know that he was gone on some trip but, didn't they have a number so they could contact him? I could've at least talked to him on the phone...I decided to push all that to the side for a bit, and take advantage of this moment. With a swift moment, I sat up on the bed and pulled both of Sonic's ears.

"Yoink!!" I yelled as I pulled his ears. I heard him let out a small yelp, as he attempted to pull away from my grip. I couldn't help but to let out a giggle. He sounded cute to me! I couldn't help it. Oh God...I sound like a fangirl, don't I?

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" Sonic exclaimed as he pried my hands off of his ears.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I always wanted to do that." I said, laughing a bit.

"Ah well...I'm not mad." Sonic said as he nursed his ears. They kind of looked like kitty ears if you took a good look at them. Sonic smiled before he patted my head a bit.

"We've been up long enough, and I'm pretty sure you're tired. We'll keep talkin' about this tomorrow. But for now, get some sleep." he said. That's when he pulled the duvets back a bit and pushed me back until I was almost against the headboard. I laid down and my head was now on the pillow. Sonic pulled the duvets back over my body and tucked me in.

"Goodnight." he said softly.

"Goodnight..." I mumbled. I was very tired now. I stayed up long enough. Everyone says that bad things always happened on Mondays. I half believed that, but things turned around drasitically today. I found out that Sonic the Hedgehog...**_THE _**Sonic the Hedgehog, was real! I never thought I'd say this, but I love Mondays now. I turned on my side before I fell asleep, almost quickly. I fell into a deep sleep, and I saw my favorite blue blur in my dreams as I slept.

* * *

**_Sonic's short POV_**

It looked like she fell asleep instantly. She must've been really tired. It seems like she forgot she was holding the Chaos Emerald too. I saw its faint glow under the duvets. Very carefully, I pulled the duvets back as gently and as slowly as I could. I didn't want to wake her up, of course. Once I saw the emerald, I took it out of her hands, but I did it as delicately as I could. It didn't even look like she even missed it. That was a good thing. I knew she was very protective of it. With the emerald in my hands, I walked back over to the sphere that was on the dresser. I'm surprised how responsible she is. A Chaos Emerald is very, **_very _**important...no telling what would happen if she let it get in the wrong hands.

It's bad enough we have people like Dr. Eggman on Mobius, but humans don't know what to do with power like this. But, then again, Dawn's isn't really human. She's a hedgehog, but she doesn't know that. I placed the emerald back in the sphere, and the half of it that was gone regenerated instantly. Only those of the Royal Family are able to have these special cases. They can disintegrate and regenerate at will. But only a few can access them. This way, it keeps the Chaos Emeralds safe. I walked toward the door, but I couldn't help but to look back. She's not my little girl anymore...she's almost a grown woman...And I wasn't even able to see her grow...I could've changed all of this. Why didn't I listen to Silver? I could've went back in time and nursed Sally back to health, and we'd be a family...But, even so, maybe it was a good thing I did what I did to save her. This way, she would've been spared the grief and agony of being both a Freedom Fighter and a princess.

_I may not have told her the whole truth, but just telling her half is progress enough. She believed me this time, but will she believe me when I tell her who she really is? I'll have to think this one through more..._

I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I had to get some rest, it was late. Besides, I only have six more days until Dawn reverts back to her true form, and by then, I'd **_have _**to take her back to Mobius. I retreated back into my room, and hoped that I'd make as much progress as I did today.

* * *

**_Tuesday_**

**_11:17am_**

Why does it feel like I'm upside-down? It was the next day. It was Tuesday. Only five more days until my birthday. I didn't know what time it was, so I tried to open my eyes so I could look at the clock. Like always, the bright light of the morning sun caused me to close my eyes back, and open them a few times before they adjusted to the light. My eyes were fully open now, without having to feel any pain. I thought everything was going to be a regular day, that is, until I caught the sight of something covered in blue fur, long quills, peach muzzle, and emerald green eyes. Well...at least I know that what happened last night wasn't a dream. Sonic was looking down at me with a grin on his face. Jeez...why does it feel like I'm upside-down? My head's throbbing in pain a bit...

"What're you looking at?" I remarked.

"I'm looking at a girl who's fallen out of her bed and on her head." he replied laughing a bit. I fell out of bed? I looked up to see my legs hanging over my body. I was on the floor lying against the bed. How the hell did I fall out of bed? Oh wait...I sleep a bit irratically sometimes. I let myself roll over until I was on my stomach. I sat up and looked up at Sonic, who was rolling on the floor laughing at me. Ok, I know I fell out of bed and all, and the position I was in was funny, but was it really _that _funny? Well...then again, Sonic is a person who'll laugh easily. Even if it's at the smallest thing. There happened to be a pillow next to me, so I grabbed it and threw it at Sonic. Somehow, it hit him on the head. I was aiming for it, but I didn't think I was going to get a direct hit. He sat up and threw it back to me. I ducked and the pillow missed me all together. I sat back up and stuck out my tongue at him. He just laughed again before he stood up and walked toward the door.

"Hey, wait a sec...Why aren't you...y'know, in human form?" I asked before he was completely out of the room.

"Huh? Oh, I forgot to revert back. But, y'know, it doesn't really matter. I'm here at home, so what's the point of reverting back to my human form when no one's gonna see me until I go outside?" he replied before leaving the room. I stood up and ran after him. There was **_so _**much I wanted to ask him! I found him in the living room sitting on the couch. The TV was on and he was just flipping through the channels aimlessly.

"Hey, Sonic...um...isn't your home planet Mobius?" I asked sitting next to him nervously.

"Well, yeah." he replied.

"If that's true then...why are you here? This is...um...y'know, Earth."

"I'm here on a mission. A very important one too."

"What kind of mission? Dr. Eggman's here trying to take over the world?!"

"No, thank God...Y'see, I'm here on a mission to...get someone."

"Get someone? You mean take them back to Mobius?"

"Right-o."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Err...I can't tell you..."

"Why not?"

"I...I just can't. you wouldn't believe me."

"Sonic...here, you're a fictional character, but you're real! So, I don't think there's anything you can tell me now that I won't believe." Sonic turned away from me for a bit, and I saw that he bit his bottom lip. He was lost in thought it seems. It took him a few minutes, but that's when I heard him let out a sigh, and he turned back toward me.

"Ok...I'll tell you. But, be warned: the information I'm about to tell you, I'm sure you won't accept it right away. But please, bare with me here..." he said quietly. I nodded in agreement. He sighed again, and then he looked me directly in the eye.

"Remember when you first came? I told you that the Chaos Emerald I had belonged to my daughter?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"...It's yours."

"....W-wait...it's...**_mine?! _**But, you said it belonged to your daughter...so...that means..."

"Yes...I've been looking for you, my daughter." You know, it's bad enough I had a hard time believing that Sonic was real, but now he's coming to me saying he's my **_dad?! _**What the hell's going on here?!

"Listen, I know it's shocking, but please, let me explain..." he said.

"O-okay..."

"By now, I know you're thinking that you might be adopted, but how can that be when you're a human? Well, I'll tell you...In truth, you _are _adopted in a sense, but that's not entirely the case. You see, your mother, Queen Sally, fell ill, and she didn't survive...but for some reason, your embryo didn't die in her womb when she past, and we were desparate to save you..."

* * *

**_Mobius_**

**_Inside Knothole Village Hospital_**

**_7:29pm_**

**_Sixteen years ago..._**

Sonic was in the hospital's lobby, pacing back and forth anxiously. His wife had been in the hospital for a week now. She was very ill. She had some type of virus that no one could be able to cure. Not only was his wife's life in danger, but also the life of his unborn child. It wasn't very old...only a mere embryo. Sonic had been waiting in the hospital for six full hours now. He wanted to hear any news about his wife and child. but so far, nothing. He wasn't alone, however. His friends and allies were waiting at the hospital with him. Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Rouge, Rotor, Antoine, Bunnie, Amy, Rob, Mina, Ash...they were all there. Another hour past before Dr. Kintobor reemerged into the lobby. Everyone perked up, especially Sonic, when they saw him coming. Though they were expecting a glimmer of hope, the doctor had a very grim look on his face...

"Doctor, how are they?? Will Sally and the baby be alright??" Sonci asked frantically. Dr. Kintobor slowly lower his head and shook it slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty...There was nothing we could do to save Sally..." he said softly. Silent gasps were heard from the others, Amy, Mina, Tails, Bunnie and Rouge began to cry. The others held their head down in sorrow. This was a sad day for Mobius...Queen Sally had passed, and at such a young age...

"What about the baby...?" Sonic asked through his tears.

"You won't believe this...Somehow, the baby is still alive!" Dr. Kintobor replied. Everyone immediately perked up when they heard the news. Even though Sally died, the baby was still alive! There may be some hope left!

"Hold on...How will the baby survive? Without Sal...it won't survive very long..." said Knuckles.

"I know, there is a way to save it! We have a chance!" said Dr. Kintobor.

"Tell us what we can do, Doc...I want to at least save my baby..." said Sonic.

"Well...it won't be easy, but there's a possibility that we can save the embryo by transferring it out of Sally's body, and into a surrogate mother's womb." Dr. Kintobor explained. "But...here's the problem...We can't just get any woman to do this. There's a chance that both of them will reject each other. We only have one shot, and if we fail to find a doner the first time...the baby won't make it..."

"How long do we have?" Blaze asked.

"Five days. If we don't find a doner by then, the child will perish..."

"Listen up Freedom Fighters!" Sonic suddenly yelled. Everyone immediately stood up. "We only have five days to save my baby. And we shall **_NOT _**fail!! I want each of you to split up and scatter around Mobius until you're able to find a doner who will be able to carry my child! Am I understood?!"

"YES SIR!!" Everyone set out that very night in hopes of finding a doner. They searched far and wide, even the depths of Moebius (Anti-Mobius) in hopes to finding a doner. Dr. Kintobor even posted up a special news bulliten so that he could hopefully get women to come in and get tested. Many female Mobians came in, but none of them were qualified to carry the child. Four days passed, but no doner came up. They only had one day left, but they were out of options. Everyone was back in to hositpal in Dr. Kintobor's main office. Everyone was losing hope. How could they save the baby? Everyone remained in silence while Dr. Kintobor typed on the keyboard to his computer. An hour later, he finally spoke.

"We only have one last option, I'm afraid..." he said.

"Please tell me it's not letting my baby die..." Sonic said grimly.

"No. We're going to need a human from Earth to carry the baby..." he said. Everyone stared at the doctor in complete shock. How could they get a human from Earth to carry a Mobian baby?! This man spoke of the impossible!

"...We'll do it." said Sonic.

"Sonic, NO!!" everyone exclaimed.

"Sonic, think about what you're doing...not only will you be turning your baby into a human, but there's the possibility that you'll never see it again!" said Knuckles.

"Plus, what human would be willing to carry a hedgehog baby?!" Mina demanded.

"Hold on, Sonic..." Silver said "We don't have to do this. We can go back in time and save both Sally and the baby!" Sonic went silent for a minute, but then he shook his head slowly. He was looking down at the floor, with a sad look upon his face.

"We're doing this, whether you all like it or not. Besides, I'm very sure we can come to a compromise with the surrogate parents if we brought them here," he said "Dr. Kintobor, I'll leave this up to you."

"I'm honored, Your Majesty. I'll call on you when I recieve any news..."

* * *

"It was later that evening when we met your surrogate parents, Sam and Chelsea. We explained what was going on, and surprisingly, they agreed. We decided it'd be best if we waited until your sixteenth birthday to bring you back. It'll be around that time frame where you'll revert back to your true hedgehog form." Sonic explained.

"Is...is that why my hair's white? And my hair is actually...quills?" I asked.

"Yes. I know it may not seem like it since you don't really look like Sally or me, but you took genes from my great grandmother. She was a white hedgehog like you." he said.

"This means that...I'm a Mobian? I'm...a princess...?"

"Yes...Dawn, please, I know it's hard for you, but what I'm telling you is the truth! Do you know how much it hurt me to see you grow up from afar?? You don't know how I feel right now..." I was about to open my mouth and say something before there was a knock at the door. Sonic immediately stood up and backed up into the kitchen.

"Shit! Just perfect...Dawn, do you mind looking to see who's at the door?" he asked.

"Sure." I replied. I then got up from the couch and looked out the peephole. I saw black hair, red streaks and crimson red eyes. It was Shade--well, Shadow.

"It's Shadow." I called.

"Oh, good..." Sonic said letting out a sigh of relief. "Let him in." I opened the door and let Shadow into the house. He was still in his human form. When he saw Sonic, he was a bit surprised.

"Well, you really let yourself go..." he said as he walked in.

"I told her the truth. I told her everything." Sonic said quickly.

"W-what?! R-really?!" he exclaimed. He suddenly turned toward me. I had just closed the door behind him and was making my way back over to the couches.

"How did you take the news?! Do believe this?!" he asked.

"I'm...still trying to comprehend all of this...but, I'll be fine." I replied. Shadow looked over at Sonic and gave him some sort of look, and then they both went into the kitchen. I heard them mumbling a little, but I couldn't quite hear what they were saying. I guess it was something I shouldn't worry about. Besides, I had I much more important things to worry about. I sat in the blue bean-bag chair from yesterday and started to play Sonic Adventure 2 Battle again. I was still on the Death Chamber stage. Yesterday, I was just fooling around, not really caring about the mission. But now, I just wanted to get passed the stage, so I did my best to kind the three keys as fast as I could. A few minutes passed and I found the first two keys. But now the last one is being a complete bastard to find. I had looked over the entire stage, but I never found it. I mean, I was in the area where the radar was red and all, but it wasn't there! I climbed on the wall, I dug into the ground and walls, destroyed enemies that were in the area, but the key was no where to be found. I was about to restart when I heard my cell phone ring in the other room. I paused the game and went into my room. My phone was sitting on the dresser next to the bed. I looked at the caller ID to see Evra's name on the glowing screen (you guys know what comes next...do I really need to say that I answered the phone?).

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi Dawn! Guess what?" Evra squealed.

"What is it? And, aren't you supposed to be in school? Why are you calling me early?" I asked as I walked back into the living room.

"That's what we were about to tell you! The school closed down today!" she exclaimed.

"Why?"

"Someone broke into the school last night and destroyed it. It was a complete mess in there!" I heard Cyrus say.

"But who'd break into a school, anyway?"

"No one knows. Police are investigating this now. They have no suspects at the moment. So, until they can find the culprit, the school's gonna be closed for a while." said Brendon. I made it back into the living room and was now sitting in the bean-bag chair. I picked the controller back up and started playing the game again while I talked to my friends.

"So, Dawn! How are things over there with you?" Evra asked.

"Yeah, I heard you're staying with some guy and you're able to stay out of school for a whole week." said Cyrus.

"Well...things have been going pretty well...I found out something...disturbing though..." I replied.

"Oh? What is it?" Brendon asked.

"Well...I found out I was adopted, for one thing..."

"What?! Oh-em-gee, Dawn, you must tell me **_everything!_**" said Evra.

"I want to but...I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you..." I saw Shadow and Sonic come back into the living room out of the corner of my eye. They were back in their human form now. Sonic--well "Sonnie" as he called in his human form--sat in the couch behind me and watched me play the game. Shade sat in the chair he sat in yesterday. Sonnie had a bowl of Lucky Charms in his hands. I loved Lucky Charms...In fact, I loved any cereal that had marshmallows in it.

"Who're you talking to?" he asked. I heard him munching on the cereal. It made a me little hungry.

"Some of my friends." I replied. Evra, Cyrus, Brendon and I kept talking for a bit. I finally found that last key in Death Chamber, and now I was fighting against the boss, King Boom Boo. This fight wasn't hard at all I practice well enough to get in two hits when the sun was in the area. Once he was finished, I had to see a quick cutscene, and then fight against Egg Golem. Once again, not a hard fight. In fact, you got to wonder what Dr. Eggman was thinking when he placed platforms on the robot's back leading to its head. I mean, you're just _inviting _Sonic to destroy the thing no problem! Evra kept begging me to throw a party for my sixteenth birthday. Now, just think about that for a second: If I threw a party for my sixteenth birthday, knowing that I'll turn back into a hedgehog that day, don't you think it'd be a bit stupid to have a party just to have a lot of people see you transform? Of course, I couldn't explain that to my friends. They'd think I was crazy. Sonnie got up with his empty bowl and went back into the kitchen, but he poked his head back into a living room a split second later.

"Hey Dawn, you want cereal or something? You hadn't eaten ever since you got up..." he offered.

"Sure. Thanks dad." I replied. Hold on...did I just call Sonnie...**_dad?!_** I didn't think it was possible but...it looks like I'm already accepting him as my father...I looked up at Sonnie, and he was looking back at me with a smile on his face. He walked up to me and knelt down before he kissed my forehead.

"No problem, kiddo." he said softly before he stood back up and walked back into the kitchen. There was an undescribable feeling going through my body right now...It was a sort of warm feeling. I didn't know what it was. It felt like...I was accepted. A weight was finally lifted off of my chest. But why am i feeling this way? I accepted Sonnie--well Sonic--as my dad. But that's when I realized that I wasn't feeling this...Sonnie was. We were in sync. He felt what I was feeling, and apparently I could feel what he was feeling.

"Hey Dawn, are you ok? Why are you quiet? And who were you talking to?" Evra asked.

"Nothing's wrong. I was just talking to my dad...my _real _dad."

* * *

**End Notes: ***crying happy tears* It took me three whole days to finish this! ToT

Ahem, anyways, fourth chapter of this series. I hoped you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be up later hopefully. I just hope writer's block doesn't hit me as hard.

R&R please. But be easy on me...Thanks, God bless, and Merry Christmas! ^^


	6. The Hunt is On

**_Chapter Five_**

**_Tuesday_**

**_12:00pm_**

I was in paradise. I decided to stop playing Sonic Adventure 2 Battle for a while and just watch TV with Sonnie and Shade. Sonic--well "Sonnie"--had made me a bowl of Lucky Charms. While I ate, I continued to talk to my friends on my cell phone. Sonnie was still reading some of my comics. I found out that the story in the comics actually happened on Mobius. How wild is that? Even the games showed events that happened on Mobius. But, Sonnie told me that Sonic Adventure 2 Battle happened here on Earth. He said It happened when he was only sixteen, so that happened before I was even born. I thought it was cool. But...I do wonder why the world haven't said anything about anthropomorhpic beings running around around here. I'm surprised that it wasn't a memorial of some sort. Evra kept begging me to tell her who my real father was. In fact, they all were. I said I'd introduce them to Sonnie when I got the chance. I wasn't going to tell them over the phone.

The day seemed to have gone by a bit too slowly for me. Only one hour past since then. It was one o' clock in the afternoon now. There wasn't much on TV right now, and I was kind of bored of playing the game. My friends had got off of the phone a while ago, and now I was left with nothing to do. I was becoming a bit restless now. I can't sit still for too long; I had to be doing something at all times. I was still a bit puzzled though. If Sonic Adventure 2 Battle happened here on Earth, then why wasn't the moon still blown apart? I decided it'd be best not to ask Sonnie too many questions at one time. I'll ask him later.

Ok, I had to admit, even though I was glad I was out of school and all, I did _not _want to sit in the house all day with nothing to do. I was becoming a bit restless, and I found myself walking around the house aimlessly a bit. Sonnie and Shade watched me closely, and I knew they could tell that I was bored out of my mind.

"Sittin' around here is too boring for ya?" Sonnie asked.

"A bit...I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish I was back in school...At least it's something to do." I replied before I slumped back onto the couch.

"Why don't you call your friends? I'm pretty sure they'd want to hang out with you." Shade suggested. Why hadn't I thought of that before? I knew those three would _love _to hang out since we're out of school. I knew just who to call too. I picked up my cell phone that was sitting on the coffee table and speed dialed Evra's number. She answered after the first ring.

"Hi Dawn!" she squealed.

"Evra, I can't believe I'm doing this but...do you want to go to the mall?" I asked. I expected Evra to let out one of her infamous ear-piercing squeals of joy, but surprisingly, she didn't. She didn't sound calm either; she still had that excitement in her voice.

"Sure! I'd love to go! I'll call up Brendon and Cyrus and one of them could drive us there!" she said.

"Don't come too soon. I gotta get dressed." I said.

"I'm giving you ten minutes before we're there!"

"No problem." We both hung up and I retreated back into my room. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, and put on some fresh clothes. I wore a red and white striped halter top, white jeans with flames on them that went up to the knee, a white belt with red gemstones, red and white shoes, and red fingerless gloves. It took me about fifteen minutes before I was done. When I reemerged from my room, Brendon, Cyrus and Evra were already here. I saw them getting aquainted with Sonnie and Shade. Evra seemed really happy when she was able to talk to Shade. But once I came out, I had to push the girl out of the house so we could get going. Cyrus was going to drive us around this time. Both Brendon and Cyrus could drive. Brendon was sixteen while Cyrus was seventeen. They both had their driver's license, so it wasn't a problem. Before I left, I gave Sonnie a quick hug before I got into Cyrus' black SUV. He seemed really happy when I did it too. I don't know why, but I was feeling really attached to Sonnie. I mean, I know that I just met him and just found out that he was my dad and all, but still...I couldn't help but to feel attached to him. I didn't know why either...Ah well. I'll look into that later. Right now, I was more concerned about Evra dragging me into each store when we got to the mall.

* * *

**_Tuesday_**

**_1:57pm_**

**_Inside the Local Mall_**

I think an hour passed since we've been out here. I'm not really sure...I lost track of time a long time ago. Evra had went on a shopping rampage since we got here. She bought like, seven outfits, two dresses, and a pair of shoes. The rest of us didn't buy much. Brendon just bought a couple of t-shirts and jeans, Cyrus just bought a new leather jacket, and I didn't buy anything at the moment. We were taking a break in the food court on the second floor. Brendon had a cheesecurger with fries, Cyrus had two slices of pizza, Evra had a salad, and I just had some mozzerella sticks.

"So Dawn...when are you gonna tell us who's your real dad?" Cyrus asked.

"Yeah. I'm just _dying _to know!" said Evra.

"If it'll make you guys stop begging me, then I'll tell you." I replied.

"Well, why not tell us now?" Brendon suggested.

"Fine. Now, you guys met Sonnie back at the house, right?"

"Yeah?"

"That's my real dad."

"So...wait, does that mean that like...your mom had an affair with the guy or something?" Cyrus asked.

"No Cyrus. You wasn't on the phone with us when she first told us. You were at guitar practice." said Brendon.

"Right. She was adopted, so the parents we know aren't her real parents." said Evra.

"So if that's the case, where's your real mom?" Cyrus asked.

"Oh...well...she died..." I said quietly. "I never knew her. She died after I was born..."

"Aww...I'm so sorry..." Evra said before she gave me a tight comforting hug. That's what I loved about Evra. She may be a girly-girl and overreacts at the smallest thing like cute guys, new fashions and such, but she's a great friend. Whenever she sees someone down or hurt, she'll do everything in her power to help that person, whether she knows that person or not.

"I hate to ask, but how'd you end up adopted?" Brendon asked.

"He...couldn't afford to take care of me. Plus...he...fell into an extreme state of depression after my mom died. He was scared that he wouldn't be the father I needed, so he thought it'd be best if he gave me up to a family that could take care of me until he got back on his feet." I lied. "He went out of town to see if he could find a good job. When he found one and made enough money to sustain himself, he moved back here and looked for me so he could have his daughter back. I mean, it seems a little strange, but he's a really good guy...he was really happy when I agreed to stay with him for a while."

"I wish my dad was as dedicated as yours." said Evra.

"Yeah. You're lucky. Not everyone can say that they had a father who loved them when they were a child." said Brendon.

"What about your adoptive parents? Are they threatening to take the guy to court in order to win your custody?" Cyrus asked.

"No. They already had this planned out. My other parents agreed to let him gain back my custody. They think it's not fair to keep me away from my real family." I replied.

"Well, at least you guys seem to have this all figured out..." said Evra.

"Yo Cyrus! Didn't expect to see you here!" someone called. We all turned around to see a guy walking toward our table. He looked like he was seventeen or so, but I couldn't tell. He wore a icy blue tank top, a black leather jacket with flames on the sleeves and two straps with buckles on the ends hanging off, black jeans with chains, green and black boots, black fingerless gloves, and red sunglasses. He had somewhat long green hair, and his sunglasses were pulled down on his nose a bit so you could see his icy blue eyes. As he walked up to us, Cyrus got up from his seat and went up to him and greeted him. They gave each other a sort of a combination of a high-five and a hand shake.

"Hey Scott! I didn't think I'd see you up here!" said Cyrus.

"Me either. What'cha doin'?" other guy asked.

"Hangin' out with my friends. Why don't you join in?"

"Aww, I couldn't. I don't wanna intrude or anything."

"Aw c'mon ya big wuss! Besides, we gotta introduce you to 'em if we wanna hang out." Cyrus then wrapped one of his arms around the other guy's shoulders and directed him back over to the table.

"Hey guys, I want you all to meet someone. This is Scott. I met him at guitar practice the other day." Cyrus explained.

"Hi Scott." Brendon and Evra greeted. Cyrus and Scoot took their seats at the table. It wasn't long before I felt Evra poke at my side again. I looked over at her, and she covered the side of her mouth with her hand so that Cyrus or Scott couldn't see her mouth the words "he's hott" to me. That's just like Evra. Always having to tell me whether a guy's cute, hot or not. It's like she's giving me information I don't even care about. But, then again, she is my friend after all. Besides, this is typical girly-girl behavior. I'm more of a tomboy, so I really don't pay attention to things like this.

"So, how did you two meet exactly?" I asked after ignoring Evra's comment.

"When I was with guitar practice, Scott was apparently in the school touring it with the principle because he and his family moved here and he was looking for a school. He saw me and the guys practicing our solos, and he liked our style." Cyrus explained.

"I told them that I had a guitar, but I couldn't play it properly. Cyrus began to give me helpful tips. Since then, we've been talking to each other a lot. We've become good friends it seems." said Scott. "Now then, how 'bout we introduce ourselves? I'm eager to know what these two cuties' names are."

"Well, I know you're talking about Evra, so that only makes one. Where'd you get two from?" I asked. I knew he was talking about me, but I really hate it when a guy calls me "cute". No, it's not because I think I'm really attractive. In fact, I don't think I'm attractive _at all. _I don't know I feel this way...I guess it's because I don't want guys to stare at me or something. I really don't know. To me, it's annoying. Like I remember a time when we were all freshmen at our high school, and there were a lot of guys trying to get Evra's attention. I thought it was pathetic. It was obvious she had no interest in them, but they kept bothering her. The same thing happened to me a few times. I tried to ignore them, but it got so bad where I had to tell them to littlerally fuck off. Seriously, who wants like three or four guys following you everywhere bragging about who's best at what. It's so irritating.

"So Little Miss Sunshine's name is Evra, huh? Cute..." Scott said smiling. I had to laugh a bit at his comment. He called Evra "Little Miss Sunshine" because she was wearing all yellow. She wore a yellow halter dress, yellow sandals, yellow bracelets on each wrist, and yellow ear-rings that were in the shape of the sun. She also had a little yellow flower hair clip in her hair. That's Evra for you. She wore a different color everyday.

"What about you?" Scott asked as he looked at Brendon.

"Um...I'm Brendon." Brendon replied quietly.

"You don't need to be so shy. I don't bite." Scott said ginning. I couldn't help but to notice this guy's teeth. They weren't normal...All of them were _sharp! _It almost made him look like a shark a little. But, then again, it seemed to have complimented his looks.

"And who's this? She obviously stands out from the rest..." Scott said as he looked at me.

"What's that supposed to mean? You stand out just as much as I do, Green-Bean." I remarked.

"Hmm...the girl has a lot of spunk. I like that." said Scott.

"Her name's Dawn. She's a bit of a tough tomboy." Cyrus explained.

"Dawn eh? I see..."

"Well, did you hear about someone breaking into the school the other day?" Evra asked.

"Yeah. It sounds pretty dumb to me. I mean, seriously! What kind of loser breaks into a school? What did they want to steal? Pencils?" Scott remarked before he started to laugh at his own joke. Cyrus laughed along with him. In a sense, what he said was humorous. What is there to steal in a school? Nothing. Only pencils, notebooks, textbooks and computers that are slow and work only half the time. But still, it wasn't _that _funny. They both reminded me of Sonic a bit. He always laugh at things that aren't even that funny.

"I heard that the person who broke into the school was looking for a student's file," Brendon said "Most of the damage was done to the main offices. The desk drawers were ripped open, the file cabinets were destroyed, and some of the computers were smashed."

"Huh. Looks like there might be a fugitive at your school..." said Scott.

"I wonder who it could be though...I don't know a person who's on the run from the law or anything..." Evra said with a sort of worried tone in her voice.

"Don't worry babe. I'm not gonna let some jailbait get ya." Scott said winking a bit. Evra giggled a bit, and Scott let out a small chuckle. Looks like Evra found herself a boyfriend...for the fifteenth time. Not that I've been counting or anything.

"Awww, how cute! You two make such a good couple!" I teased. Cyrus and I let out small laughs, but Evra and Scott weren't amused. For once in her life, Evra gave me a small hit on my arm. That's the very first time I agitated the girl. This is the first time she's ever hit me out of anger too. I also noticed that Brendon grew quiet. He was looking down at the table playing with a straw. I felt kind of bad. You see, Brendon has a crush on Evra. In fact, he's had a crush on her ever since we all became friend in elementary school. I think Evra liked him too, but Brendon was so shy. He could never gain the courage to tell his feelings for Evra. Scott looked over at Brendon, and he smiled a bit.

"Don't feel bad, Brendon. I'm not gonna steal your girl away from ya." he said. Brendon immediately perked up. His head shot up and he looked at Scott wide-eyed. His cheeks had turned into a red color too. He was blushing.

"What do you--I don't--I never..." he stammered.

"Oh cut it out Brendon! We all know you like her!" said Cyrus.

"Stop it you guys! Don't throw out his business into the air like that!" I scolded. Evra was looking over at Brendon now. But Brendon was having a hard time trying to clear up what just happened. His cheeks were as red as the flames on my jeans. Evra moved a little closer to Brendon before she gave him a little kiss on his cheek. Brendon's cheeks grew even redder. I thought the two of them looked cute. But then again, I'm not the kind of person who all for mushy moments.

"Well, at least they're finally together..." said Cyrus.

"I'm not for mushy scenes like this, but I gotta admit, they look cute." said Scott. I was about to say something before I heard my cell phone ring. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was Sonic--I mean Sonnie.

"Hello?" I said when I answered.

"Dawn, you have to come home immediately." he said quickly.

"W-why? What's wrong?" I asked.

"I can't tell you over the phone. Just get home as quickly as possible. I just got some disturbing news, and you need to be here to hear it as well."

"Alright. I'll be there in a sec."

"Ok. And _please _be safe on your way back."

"I'll be fine. Cyrus is gonna drive me back" We both hung up, and I explained the situation to my friends. They understood, and we left the mall at that moment. Scott decided to go his spearate ways since the situation was urgent. He said he'd had some other stuff to attend to anyway. He left when we got out to the parking lot.

We were back at the house in about ten or fifteen minutes. I bid my friends goodbye before they drove off to where ever they were going now. When I got up to the door, Sonnie opened to door almost instantly. He must've been looking out the window until I returned. He had a somewhat worried expression on his face. When I entered the house, I felt some tension in the air. There was also more people in the house than usual. In fact, there were two more people here. One of them was a sort of masculine guy. He wore a red t-shirt with a crescent symbol on the chest, blue jeans, and red, yellow and green shoes with dark gray laces. He had long red hair and purple eyes. He looked around Sonnie's age. Possibly twenty or twenty-one. The other person was a girl. She wore a purple long sleeved shirt, white jeans, and pink and white boots. She had yellow eyes and long purple hair she had in a ponytail. She also had a small red gem on her forehead. She looked about nineteen or so. They were standing around the living room with Shade. I knew who they were right away, but there was a part of me that couldn't believe this was happening. The guy and the girl looked at me, and their eyes widened a bit.

"Dawn, I'm pretty ssure you know who these two are, right?" Shade asked.

"I think so. They're Knuckles and Blaze, right?" I asked.

"She _does _recognize us!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Your Highness...evveryone was in an uproar after they found out what happened to you! You don't know how relieved we are!" said Knuckles.

"We can get to that later! We have bigger things to worry about here!" Sonnie said.

"W-what's going on here?" I asked. Sonnie placed his hand on my back and he directed me over to couches and sat down. Shade sat in his regular chair, Knuckles sat in the chair on the other side of the couch, and Blaze stood next to Sonnie and I.

"Dawn, we're going to tell you something important, but it's not to frighten you." said Blaze.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Hon...you're being hunted down..." Sonnie said quietly.

"Hunted down?! By who?!" I asked frantically.

"Listen, calm down...let us explain..." said Shade. My hands were shaking a bit, and my heart began to beat wildly. I took a few slow deep breaths before I let the others explain what was going on to me.

"Now then...do you remember when your school was broken into the other day?" Shade asked.

"Yeah..?"

"The person who broke in is the person who's looking for you. He was trying to get any information on your whereabouts." Shade explained. "When he saw that he couldn't find or access your files, he decided to destroy the school on purpose so they could close it down. That way, it'd be easier to find you."

"But why me? What'd I do..?"

"It's not what you did. The person looking for you wants your power." said Blaze.

"My power? What do you mean?"

"You know how Shadow can use Chaos powers like Chaos Control?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah?"

"You can do the same thing, but your power is greater than Shadow's. Even though you haven't discovered how to use them, you have the ability to either travel through time, use elements or even revive someone..." Sonnie explained.

"So Dr. Eggman is looking for me?"

"No. Eggman died years ago. He's no longer a threat. However, the person looking for you is far worse than Eggman..." Blaze said quietly.

"Who is he?! I need to know!" They all went silent. Shade, Blaze and Knuckles looked over at Sonnie for his approval. He nodded, and that's when they looked back at me.

"Dawn...the person looking for you...is Scourge..." Blaze said silently.

* * *

**End Notes: **It took me a while day to do this...I'm exhausted...*sleeps*

I doubt that I'll be able to update it today. It's not possible. But the next chapter will be up soon.

I feel that this one isn't as good, but once again, I tried. By the way, for those who are unfamiliar with who Scourge is, go to google and type in "scourge the hedgehog". He is an actually character, not a fan character. I'd recomend going to the Archie Wiki instead of the regular Wiki page. The Archie Wiki will basically give you his entire bio. He's from the comics.

R&R please. But no flaming and don't be mean, if you'll please...

See you next time, and Merry Christmas to you al! ^^


	7. The Transformation

**_Chapter Six_**

**_Tuesday_**

**_3:02pm_**

Maybe having Sonic the Hedgehog as a father wasn't as cool as it seemed...Not only is he a king, but he also has a lot of enemies. Therefore, I have a lot of enemies. It's even hard to believe that Scourge the Hedgehog is after me now. I could've sworn that guy was locked up in the No Zone...How'd he get out? I guess I'll find that out later...Sonnie and the others didn't even have to explain the situation to me. After reading all of the comics over and over again, and then recieving this kind of imformation, all I had to do was put two and two together. It all made sense...

I know that Scourge wanted to rule the Multiverse when he became king of Moebius. He tried to get Sonic to join him, but he refused. He's been trying to do that ever since...But when he was dethroned, not only did he made a vow to get his vengence back on the Supression Squad, but it looked like he still wanted to rule the Multiverse. It was in issues #194 to #195 of Sonic the Hedgehog when he became super and was invincible. He laid a beating on all of the Freedon Fighters, the Supression Squad, and others who happened to be there in the castle. After his Anarchy Beryl worn out and drained him of his energy, Sonic took that opprotunity to carry Scourge off to the No Zone while he was passed out. As Sonic traveled on the highways, Scourge managed to wake up and break free from Sonic. It wasn't long before Zector and Zespio saw the two fighting and stopped them. It was then that Zector and Zespio took them both to a ruined No Zone. Scourge decided to cause a lot more damage and went on a small rampage. He was quickly stopped when he was hit with a Control Collar (if any of you saw that in an issue of the Sonic the Hedgehog comics, then you know that the face Scourge made there was hilarious). After Scourge was put in check, it was locked up. No one's heard from him since.

With that being said, he's probably after me because, if what Sonnie and the others are saying is true and I can use Chaos Powers, then Scourge wants to use my power to rule to Multiverse. That's how it seems to me, but I'm not sure how true that is.

"The problem is we don't know where he is now...he can be anywhere..." Knuckles said as he snapped me out of my thoughts and back into reality.

"You're not safe when you're outside now...he'll do anything to get to you." said Sonnie.

"I'm guessing that he wants to use my power to rule the Multiverse?" I asked.

"Exactly. You sure do catch on fast..." Shade said "There's no doubt that he wants to use your power to not only take over the Multiverse, but this one as well."

"Is he planning on draining my energy away from my body?" I asked.

"No. He has something else on his mind..." said Blaze.

"What do you mean?"

"You know Scourge's personality, right?" Sonnie asked.

"He's a playboy wannabe, womanizer, punk etc..." I said.

"Now put two and two together and see what you come up with." Put two and two together again, huh? Ok...Well, they said Scourge want's to use my power to rule the Multiverse, but he's not going to draw my energy from my body to do so. He was a king, I think he still is, I'm not sure...He's a bit of a womanizer...I'm a princess...now...so...Oh God...

"Is he trying to get me to join him?" I asked.

"Right-o."

"So, he's most likely in human form like you all, correct?"

"Exactly. That way, he'll be able to blend in better." said Blaze.

"But he'll no doubt stand out from the crowd from the rest of them. He'll be easy to find." Shade added.

"Dawn, I hate to ask, but do you mind going to your room for a bit? There's some things I need to discuss with my friends..." said Sonnie.

"Sure..." I got up from the couch and retreated back into my room. I closed the door so that I wouldn't be able to hear what they were saying in the other room. I'm sure Sonnie wanted me to do that. I laid back on my bed and began to think for a while. My biggest concern was making sure I wouldn't run into Scourge and having him do anything to me or my friends. But then it hit me...Shade said that if Scourge was in human form, he'd obviously stand out from the others like him, Sonnie, Knuckles and Blaze. Cyrus met Scott at guitar practice only a few hours before the break-in at the school...Scourge was looking for my files but couldn't access them and he makes a mess of the place...We meet Scott at the mall today...He wears a leather jacket with flames, red sunglasses, has long green hair and unnaturally sharp teeth for a human...I knew there was something familar about Green-Bean! Scott was Scourge the whole time! Why couldn't I see that?! No wonder him and Cyrus became close friends. He was using him to locate me! Great. I was just told to stay away from the guy when I already met him...Ironic, no?

But, even so...I'm glad he didn't come with us when Cyrus drove me back home. He could've easily found out where I lived and made his move right then and there. Then again, Scourge isn't _that _reckless...He'd plan out what he was about to do instead of jumping into something. I know he's crafty as he is clever. But with that said, he probably went his separate ways so he could follow us secretly. He probably has the Supression Squad with him too...I have to tell Sonnie about this. I _have _to...There's no way I'm letting him harm the people i care about.

I was about to get up and leave when I heard my cell phone vibrate on the dresser. I just knew it was going to be Evra or someone. I picked it up and looked at the caller ID. _Unknown Number? _This better not be the cell phone company sending me a text message about my minutes.

"Hello?" I said as I answered.

"Hi there Dawn. Guess who?" said a voice.

"What the--Scott?" I asked.

"Bingo! I didn't think you'd recognize me." This is even more ironic. He calls as soon as I was about to tell Sonnie I know him.

"How'd you get my number?" I demanded.

"Your buddy Cyrus told me. Anyways, I wanted to ask ya something..." he said.

"What?"

"Weeell, everyone's plannin' on goin' to a fair bein' held in the park. Some sort of celebration for somethin'. Anyways, I was wonderin' if you'd like...oh, I dunno...come with me?"

"You mean on a date??"

"You read my mind."

"In your dreams Green-Bean! Besides, I know who you are, Scourge." There was a short pause before I heard Scourge laugh on the other end. I really didn't find this amusing at all.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

"Nothing! It's just you're so cute! If you knew who I was, why didn't you say anything at the mall?"

"I couldn't. If I did, my friends would think I was crazy. Besides, they no _nothing _of the Sonic characters like I do. They wouldn't know what I was talking about!"

"Whatever you say...Anyways, what about that date, hm?"

"Forget it! I'm not going on a date with you. I'd rather date Snivley than you."

"Awww quit playin' hard to get. I know Blue told you some things about me, which is fine. I mean, we _are _enemies after all..."

"Thus, that makes you _my _enemy! Good thing Sonic's my dad, 'cause then I'll..."

"Look, babe, don't go there, ok? It's bad enough I love a girl who's my doppleganger's daughter, but don't make any threats."

"'Love'? Since when do you 'love' a girl? The only time you 'love' someone is when you want something! And I know you want to use me and rule the Multiverse!"

"Ah, I see that I can't convince you otherwise. So let's move on shall we?"

"Gladly, I'll just hang up and pretend you never existed, sound good?"

"Dawn...I didn't want to do this, but it looks like I don't have a choice...Either you come with me to the fair or else. I'm not just gonna do something to your friends, but also your adoptive parents, Sonic and his friends as well..."

"You wouldn't dare..."

"Trust me, this hurts me more than it hurts you. But even so, I won't show any mercy..." I saw this one coming. But he's not just targeting my friends, but everyone I care about...He's not lying when he said he'll show no mercy. He'll kill anyone, no matter who it was, right then and there. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place now...Should I or shouldn't I? The hell am I thinking? Of course, I have to...I don't want him to harm my friends and family...

"Fine Scourge...you win, for now."

"SWEEEEET!! We're gonna pick ya up at six! See ya then, Cupcake." I hung up as quickly as I could. I'm going to regret this...I'm going to regret this **_a lot._** What the hell have I gotten myself into? I'll have to tell Sonnie and the others about this...But I don't know if I should tell them that Scourge is coming with us...I didn't want him to worry, and as princess of Mobius (yeah, I taken on that role surprisingly), I had to fend him off myself. I had less than three hours. I better tell Sonnie, and convince him that I can take care of myself...

* * *

**_6:05pm_**

**_En route to fair_**

How the heck was I able to convince Sonnie that I would be fine on my own at the fair? I knew I was going to regret this...Those three or so hours went by a little too quickly for me. Cyrus came over to the house and picked me up before I knew it. It was too late to turn back now...I was already in the car and we were ten minutes into the drive. Something in the back of my mind was telling me to tuck n' roll out of the car, but then I had to risk of being ran over since we were on the main roads. Cyrus was driving us again, and we were on our way to the park. It looked like Brendon and Evra were finally together. They were holding hands and talking a lot. Well, at least we had _one _happy couple. Unfortunately for me, I was forced to go with _Scourge! _What'd I ever do to deserve this?!

"So Dawn, tell me why a cutie like you went so long without a boyfriend." Scourge said.

"Because I don't need a guy. I'd rather be independant than to have some couple drama wear me down." I replied.

"Ooh, I _SO _agree! Couple drama is very uncalled for." said Evra.

"Exactly. You have to worry about your boyfriend cheating on you and all that." I said, giving Scourge a look.

"I would never cheat on my girl. I'm faithful." said Scourge. Ok, for all you people who know Scourge, you **_know _**that's a freakin' lie!

"Eh, I could never find the right girl. I'm at the point where I'm gonna wait for the right one to come to me." said Cyrus.

"I don't have to wait anymore...I already have the perfect girl right here." Brendon said looking at Evra. Evra let out a loud squeal before she gave Brendon a kiss on his cheek.

"You are soooo sweet!! You're the best guy to ever have as a boyfriend!" she said. I couldn't help but to smile at the two. They looked so happy and cute together. I wish I had their luck...I can really use it right about now. A couple more minutes past before we finally arrived at the fair. Neon lights, carnival rides, game and food stands greeted us after we stepped out the car. Plus, with the sun starting to set a little, it made the place look beautiful. The fair was set up on a sort of large hill in front of the beach. There was a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, tons of games, food stands and a few roller coasters here and there. This was the first time I ever been to this fair. Who knows? I may enjoy myself if Scourge doesn't ruin the mood. Speaking of him, he seemed a little overwhelmed by everything. He looked like a toddler. His eyes roamed around the area, taking in the sights, smells and sounds.

"What is it? you never been to a fair before?" I teased.

"No actually...We never had these on Moebius...This is my first time." he replied. Maybe I could use this to my advantage. While he's too busy exploring the fair, I could take off and diss him. The five of us entered the fair and bought a few tickets just in case we might want to go on a ride. I really wasn't too thrilled about this. If this was any other normal day, I'd be glad to be here. But being forced to come here with an evil hedgehog who's disguised as a human and threantening the life of my friends and family, it's not as fun anymore. But I couldn't worry my friends either...This was my problem and my problem only. They're innocent in this. We walked around the fair a bit, trying to figure out what to do. Scourge had his arm aound my waist while we walked. I would've pushed him away, but then that'd cause attention to us. I couldn't risk it. I also noticed that some guys and girls were looking at us. The girls giggled a bit while the guys seemed to have jealousy in their eyes. Wow...we're already drawing attention. I don't think fighting him off would be a problem.

After a while of walking and talking, we finally came to a compromise to get on one of the rides. We headed toward a line that lead to a roller coaster called "Dragon's Flight". It wasn't that big of a ride, but looks can be decieving. The car was in the shape of a long black dragon with wings on with middle seats. It wasn't too high, nor was it too short. It was at the perfect height. I'll say that that tracks were about twenty or more feet high. The line was a bit long since it was somewhat of a popular ride. For some reason, Scourge looked a little uncomfortable for some reason. He kept looking up and the ride whenever it took off on its metal tracks.

"Why are we getting on that...machine?" he asked.

"Because it's fun dude! Roller coasters are always fun!" said Cyrus.

"I don't see how riding on a cart on metal tracks high above the ground at high speeds is 'fun'..." he said quietly "Has that thing ever like...flew off its tracks or anything?"

"I really hope you're not foreshadowing anything..." Brendon said quietly.

"Suddenly, I don't feel like getting on this thing anymore..." said Evra.

"Me either...c'mon, let's go." We all got out of the line and began to walk around the fair grounds again looking for something to do. The sky was turning into a dark purple combined with orange. The sun was setting behind the ocean. I couldn't help but to walk away from my friends and watch it while standing on a dune. A sunset was always beautiful to me. Just seeing it relaxed me. It seemed to have washed away all of my worries and thoughts. I was feeling at ease, that is, until I heard Scourge come up behind me.

"Somethin' wrong puddin'?" he asked as he walked up to me grinning.

"Everything was fine until you showed up." I said.

"Hey guys! It's starting soon!" Evra said as she ran up to us.

"What's starting soon?" I asked.

"The solar eclipse silly! This fair is the celebration of the soloar eclipse!" Evra replied.

"Everyone's heading toward the beach to see it." Brendon added.

"A solar eclipse?! How come you didn't tell me?!" Scourge exclaimed.

"We'd thought Dawn'd tell you." said Evra.

"But I didn't know the fair was for the solar eclipse either." I said.

"Well, it doesn't matter! Let's head toward the beach so we can find a good spot!" said Cyrus. The three of then walked down the dune and onto the main part of the beach. I was about to folow them, but that's whe Scourge grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"The hell are you doing?!" I deamnded while pulling my arm away.

"We can't stay here. We have to leave!" he said.

"What are you talking about?!"

"We have to go into the woods so no one can see us."

"Dude, if you're planning on trying to have sex with me, I'm gonna--"

"It's not about that!!" Scourge then grabbed my arm again and pulled me over behind an empty tent.

"Listen, I know you don't trust me, but hear me out. This is very important..." he said "If I had known that there was gonna be a solar eclipse tonight, I would've never brought you out here. I'm not just putting you endanger, but also myself, as well as the others."

"What are you talking about?! Just tell me what's going on!" I demanded again.

"Listen...I know Sonic told you that you'll revert back to your true hedgehog form on your sixteenth birthday. But he never told you that you'll also revert back if you're exposed to a solar eclipse."

"B-but I don't understand...Why...?"

"There's no time to explain! Right now, we need to get somewhere safe! We can't let the humans see us!"

"Hey, what's going on you two?" Scourge and I turned arouns to see Brendon, Cyrus and Evra standing in front of us. They had a combination of worry and confusion on their faces. I hope they didn't hear our conversation...

"You guys didn't hear us, did you?" I asked, hoping to get the answer I wanted.

"Sadly no...we heard most of the conversation." said Brendon.

"What were you guys talking about? What did you mean by reverting back to your true forms?" Cyrus demanded. I opened my mouth to say something, but that's when the sky blackened. We all looked up to see the solar eclipse finally arrive.A large black sphere slowly moved over until it completely covered the moon. As the sky continued to grow darker, I noticed that my body aterted to feel...strange. It felt like my blood started to run through my veins faster, and I felt something pressing against my skin from the inside as if something was trying to be let out. Not only was it all around my body, but that top of my head too. I was in some mild pain, and I let out a small groan as I fell to my knees. I held onto both of my arms as the pain increased little my little. I felt horrible, but that's when I looked up at my friends. They all had horrified looks on their faces. Evra was hiding behind Brendon, Cyrus was backing away a little, and Brendon stood there with his eyes wide. I wondered why they looked at me like something was seriously wrong. That's when I realized that my hands and arms felt...furrier. I looked down at my hands, and to my horror, _they were completely covered with white fur!_

* * *

**End Notes: **Well, this took longer than it expected...

There's not much more to point out here. The only thing I can really say is that I'll have to see if I can start the next chapter soon. I doubt it though...It takes me a whole day to do one.

I fixed as many errors as I could, and I apologize if it doesn't seems like it.

Anyways, see you guys next chapter! God bless, and Merry Christmas to you all! :3


	8. Final Trip Home

**Author's Notes: **I'd just like to clear one thing up before we get started here: My writing style might not be at my best because I'm still young and still learning. There are going to be some errors in this story people, but I do not want those errors to hinder you from enjoying the story.

Be noted that I am planning on fixing those errors when I can. But please, be patient.

Anyways, Sonic and Co. belong to: SEGA/Archie.

Dawn's the only one who truely belongs to me.

Now, with all that out of the way, enjoy! ^^

* * *

**_Chapter Seven_**

**_Tuesday_**

**_7:19pm_**

**_Fair grounds_**

Have you ever had one of those days where something really terrible happened and you just wished you could just die or disappear off of the face of the Earth right then and there? Well, this was one of those days. I really don't know what's worse...Turning back into a hedgehog prematurely or turning back into a hedgehog prematurely in front of all my friends. Well, half of the truth is out now. At least they know I'm actually a hedgehog now...But, will they think I'm a monster since I'm an anthropomorphic hedgehog? I don't know if asking them that would be wise...I've seen how humans reacted to Sonic and his friends in the games and comics after they saw him. I'm pretty sure they'd react the same way. The pain I was feeling through my body was gone now, so I'm guessing that transformation is finished. I looked over at Scourge. He was in his full hedgehog form too. He's pants stayed on, but for some reason, his shirt disappeared, and it revealed his chest along with those two large scars on it. I stood up from the ground and looked over at my friends. They were still staring at both me and Scourge with petrified looks on their faces. Yeah, I don't think talking to them would be a good idea at this point.

Though turning into a hedgehog wasn't glamorous, I had to admit, I felt...new. Most of my senses were enhanced, and I felt stronger, more agile and faster. If Sonic's is right, I can also use my abilities now. I looked over at Scourge again, and he tilted his head toward the forest, gesturing me to follow him. I couldn't say no now. I had to go with him if I wanted to protect myself. There'd be an obvious uproar if everyone here saw two anthropomorphic hedgehogs walking around. But I couldn't leave just yet. I had to at least say goodbye to my friends before I left. Big mistake. When I opened my mouth to say something, Evra let out an ear-piercing scream. _Dammit Evra! _I was able to look past the tent and saw a lot of people turn their heads back towards the hill after they heard Evra, and they started to jog back up the hill. There goes my farewell...I felt Scourge grab my arm, and then he ran full speed toward Darkwood Forest. Since Scourge can run just as fast as Sonic, I wasn't able to see Brendon, Cyrus or Evra one last time. We were in the forest in a matter of seconds, but we were quite deep in it. I sat against the trunk of a nearby oak tree. Hot tears began to form up in my eyes, and I felt one roll down my cheek. Why was I crying? What Evra did was normal...I would've done the same thing if I saw my friend transform into a hedgehog...It shouldn't have hurt me this much...right?

"You can't trust no one now," I heard Scourge say "From here on out, you're on your own until you get back to Mobius. Your so-called 'friends' probably send some people to come here and look for us." He's lying. They'd never do that to me...Evra was just scared, that's all...But, I can't stay here. I need to go home and get to Sonic and the others. I can't stay with Green-Bean over there. Even if what he said was true and my friends betrayed me, I'd rather hear it from them than from him. I stood up and began to walk out of the forest, but that's when I felt something grab my arm and forcefully pulled me back. I turned around to see Scourge glaring at me through his red sunglasses.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"None of your business! Let me go!" I yelled as I tried to get out of his grip. His hand grew tighter on my arm, and it began to hurt a bit. What am I doing? I'm a hedgehog now! I'm not a human anymore. Plus, I can probably use my powers now. I don't need to be a Damsel in Distress. But, I was in a bit of a bind here. He was dragging me deeper into the forest, and pulling my arm away isn't doing anything either. In times like this where a guy is dragging you into the woods, there's only one thing to do: Aim for the weak spot. Summoning all of my strength, I kicked Scourge in his groin. He immediately released my arm, fell to his knees and let out a painful groan. Well, this actually answered one of my questions. After seeing a lot of male Sonic characters run around nude, it begs the question if they actually...you know, have anything down there. It also begs the question on how they reproduce. But let's not get into that. I'll ask Sonic about that later. Now that I was free, I began to run at full speed out of the forest. I can even run faster than I could too! I just have to test out more of my abilities later. I could see the entrance to the forest in the matter of seconds. I was almost home-free! But my hopes were cut short when I felt something snag my right ankle and I fell to the ground hard. I thought I'd just tripped over an exposed root or something, but that changed after I started to be pulled back into the forest.

As I was being dragged, I was able to roll onto my back to see a chain wrapped around my ankle. I also looked up to see Scourge some feet away with the same chain in his hands. He was pulling the chain and dragging me towards him with an evil grin on his face. Jeez, I didn't think he'd be able to recover _that _quick after being hit in his groin. I thought it was a direct hit!

"That was a cheap shot babe! But I have to admit, you got a clean hit," he said "But you're still not gonna get away from me that easily!"

He was dragging me toward him at a pretty fast pace. I have to get this chain off of me, and _fast! _I sat up the best way I could and began to mess with the chain, hoping I could somehow unwrap it from my ankle. I wasn't having much luck, since chains are a bit difficult to unwrap. It always seems like it's tangled somehow, and each chain loop seemed to have intertwined with one another. The chain didn't seem to budge at all, but I wasn't giving up. But I was running out of time rapidly though. I was almost in front of Scourge, and the chain wasn't even budging. But even if he managed to get me to him, I wasn't going down without a fight. Suddenly, I felt hands go on both of my arms and began to pull me away from Scourge, despite the chain still wrapped around my ankle.

"HEY!! What do you think you're doing?! She's **_MINE!!"_** Scourge yelled angerily.

"Cyrus! Get rid of him!" Wait...that voice...I know that voice!!

"Brendon?! Is that you?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Dawn. We're here to help you from this creep!" said Brendon.

"That's right! You may have changed your physical appearence for whatever weird reason, but you're still our friend! We'll help you out no matter what!" said Evra. I felt like crying tears of joy. I knew Scourge was lying! I may have changed, but we're friends until the end. I saw Cyrus run up to Scourge, and there was a loud _twack! _heard after Cyrus gave Scourge a clean punch to his face. I felt the chain loosen after Scourge dropped the chain when he fell back, and I was able to finally unwrap the chain. I stood up, and then I saw that Scourge was holding Cyrus by his neck and was pinning him against one of the trees. He was holding him about two or three feet above the ground, and it looked like he was choking him.

"I should've got rid of you when I got the chance! So, I'm gonna finish the job, right here, right now!" Scourge yelled. That's when I saw him go into his jacket pocket and pulled out his switchblade. The cold, sharp metal blade suddenly appeared after a push of a button. It seemed to have glistened in the night, despite the moon still being concealed by the eclipse. I was _not _going to let him do _anything _to harm the people close to me. I've been wanting to try this out ever since I turned into my hedgehog form. Gathering my strength again, I jumped up, curled into a ball and tackled Scourge into some trees. The impact was so strong, that it knocked down most of the trees and they fell on top of him. I didn't think I could do it, but I actually Spin Dashed! After seeing Sonic, Shadow and Scourge do it so many times, I was able to learn how to do it instantly. I knew to jump back as soon as he was blown back. I got out of my ball form and landed next to Cyrus. He was on the ground holding his neck, and gasping for air. I knelted down next to him to make sure he was ok. He didn't have any visible bruises or scars. But, he seemed ok.

"Guys, let's get out of here, quick. There's no doubt Scourge'll be pissed when he finally get out form under those trees." I said.

"Right. Let's get out of here." Cyrus said standing up.

"But how? We can't go back to the fair. If everyone sees Dawn, they'll flip!" said Brendon.

"Leave that to me." I said. It's time to test out my new abilities. I gathered all of my friends around me, and for some reason, I felt strange. I was sensing a power of some kind. But then I realized that Sonic told me that I was like Shadow. So, if that was true, I must've been sensing the power of a Chaos Emerald. It must've been my own.

"Chaos...CONTROL!" The four of us was suddenly engulfed in a light before we disappeared out of the forest. Well, I found out that I can use two abilities now. I can Spin Dash, and I can now use Chaos Control. I only had one destination on my mind: Sonic's Earth house. We had to get there as fast as we could. I _had _to tell them that I saw Scourge now. This isn't my problem anymore, nor can I face it on my own. I needed help, and I knew just who I could count on.

* * *

**_Scourge's POV_**

Ok, I'll admit it: I've dealt with a lot of chicks. But I never met a chick as rebellious as Dawn. But, like I said before, I like a girl with a lot of spunk. I almost had her! If her idiotic friends hadn't interfered, she would've been mine. I wasn't mad at her though. But once I see those humans again, all of them are as good as dead. And that's a **promise...**I gathered up some energy before I blew the trees away in an energy blast. Looks like Dawn and the other three ran off. Ah well...It's no big deal. I was able to slip a tracker on her vest when she wasn't lookin'. Finding her will be no problem now. That is, if she doesn't find the thing and destroy it. There was no way for me to go into the towns now. The solar eclipse was still active, and I can't use my human form anymore.

I started to walk around the forest aimlessly, trying to figure out where to go next. I couldn't go back to the base just yet. I still had some unfinished business to take care of out here. At least, that's what I _wanted..._Things aren't going as we all planned it would. With the solar eclipse, our time on Earth is delayed. We'll have to go back to our world since our human forms are permantly disabled thanks to the eclipse. I had walked quite far into the forest. Now I was standing in front of a lake. I could the see moon more clearly now. It just looked like a large black sphere with a white light around it. I laid on the grass with my hands behind my head, and I was staring into the sky. I had my sunglasses over my eyes just for the hell of it. I was really, really bored now. A few more minutes past before I heard my communicator went off. It was just a single headset on my right ear, but it was too small to see it. I pressed the button on it, and the microphone came down to my mouth so I could talk to whoever it was calling me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Have you found the girl?"

"I found her. But, there was some delays on my end. There was some interference." I replied. "But I put the tracker on her like you told me to do. Locating her should be no problem now."

"Good, good...you're doing very well. Come back to base, and we'll discuss our next move."

"Hold on a 'sec Doc...There's a solar eclipse going on. Our human forms are disabled now. How are we going to continue this without the humans finding us out?"

"Ah...I hadn't thought of that. Hmm....Very well. Scourge, just come back to base. I'll figure something out. I'll track the girl down upon your return. But lay low."

"No problem Doc! I'm in a forest. There's no humans out here. Besides, I'll just use the Warp Ring ya gave me. I'll be back before you know it."

"Very well. Do not delay your return."

I turned off the communicator and pulled out my Warp Ring out of my jacket pocket. It grew ten times bigger than it was before, and I jumped in once it reached it full size. Once I jumped through, the ring disappeared instantly. I swear, the Doctor better have something good when I get back to base. I'm getting impatient, but he says that he promised me the power to rule the Multiverse...I don't know how true that is, since I remember the last time I worked with the guy. When he released Enerjak, I thought the guy went nuts. I really do wonder what this guy's real intentions are. He wouldn't tell me though...I'd have to find out myself.

* * *

**_Tuesday_**

**_8:00pm_**

**_Outside Sonnie's House_**

Brendon, Cyrus, Evra and I reappeared right in front of Sonic's house. We all ran up to the door, and I knocked on it as hard as I could. Hey, I couldn't help it. I was panicing. I was outside, in front of houses. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. Sonic answered the door almost automatcially. He was in his hedgehog form as well.

"WHOA!! What happened to the blue-haired dude?" Cyrus asked after he saw Sonic.

"This _IS _the blue-haired dude! He's actually Sonic the Hedgehog, my favorite character!" I said.

"B-but...I thought he wasn't real..?" Evra asked silently.

"Listen, we'll explain everything. But right now, all of you, come inside quickly!" Sonic said as he moved out of the way to let us in. We all went inside, and my eyes almost popped out of my head. Almost everyone was here! Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Tails, Rouge, Bunnie, Blaze and Silver. There were some still missing though. But they weren't in their human forms. I guess Scourge was right: after a solar eclipse, everyone returns to their normal forms.

"Oh sugar! You're all right!" Bunnie said as he ran up to me and gave me a hug.

"W-what's going on?" Brendon asked, obviously overwhelmed by seeing a lot of anthros in one place.

"Dawn, we need to talk." Sonic said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the group.

"It's about the solar eclipse, isn't it?" I asked.

"It's more than that. Now that the solar eclipse hit, we have to leave." said Rouge.

"Leave? But I thought you said I had to leave on my sixteenth birthday!"

"I'm sorry Dawn...but there's nothing we can do about this," Sonic said "Now that our human forms are permanently disabled, we can no longer stay. We _have _to go back to Mobius now! No exceptions!"

"Either we leave tonight or G.U.N comes after us again." said Shadow.

"G.U.N exists here? But I thought--"

"G.U.N had to conceal themselves after all we've been through with them in the past here on Earth. To prevent an uproar, they concealed their indenity and became a secret organization." Tails explained.

"The main part of G.U.N lives on Mobius with us. Only a small part of them live here on Earth." said Blaze.

"Dawn, I'm very sorry to say this, and I hope you can forgive me: But we all leave tonight. So, if you wish, you can say your last goodbye to your friends." said Sonic.

"What about...what about my surrogate parents?"

"Ah'm sorry sugar...But we have to prevent any more imprinting between you and them. We couldn't risk it..." said Bunnie.

"Rotor's working on the portal now. It won't be long before it's up. And by that time, it'll be time for us to leave." said Knuckles.

"Wait...what's going on here? I don't understand..." said Evra.

"Dawn...why don't you explain to your friends what's going on. It's time for them to know." said Shadow. I nodded, and I gestured them to come over to the couches. Evra and I sat on the couch together, while Brendon and Cyrus sat on the coffee table in front of us. Before I knew it, everything I knew came gushing out of me. I told them everything. Starting from that Sonic was my real dad and my embryo was transferred into my surrogate mother's, down to telling them I was a princess of Sonic's home planet, and then finally telling them who Scourge was and what he wanted. I also told them about my abilities, and I explained who everyone was, starting with Sonic and finishing with G.U.N (since I didn't like them at all). There were a lot of characters that I didn't cover, but it really didn't matter in a sense. Once I leave with Sonic and the others, they'll never meet those characters. After I was done explaining everything, I sat there in silence making sure that the information sunk into their brains.

"It's still hard to believe that these characters are actually real..." said Brendon.

"It's even harder to believe that I thought that green, evil hedgehog was cute!" Evra said shuddering a bit.

"So...does this mean that you...gonna leave here forever?" Cyrus asked.

"Yeah...I can't stay here now that I'm a hedgehog now. G.U.N will be after me for sure!" I said.

"...Hey, Sonic? Can I ask you something?" Brendon asked.

"Go ahead." said Sonic.

"...Can we go with you?"

"WHAT?!"

"Ooooh I was just thinking that! Please Sonic, let us come with!" Evra begged.

"Whoa, whoa WHOA! Hold on you guys...we can't just take humans back to Mobius! I mean, there are humans there, but what about your families?" said Sonic.

"It doesn't matter. Our families don't care where we go. The three of us came from broken homes...My dad's a drug-dealer and is involved in a gang." said Brendon.

"My mother became an alcoholic after her and my dad divorced. She says the meanest things to me and said she wished she never had me as a daughter!" Evra said fighting back her tears.

"My dad's really abusive. He beats my mom a lot...I stopped him once. But it was too late because he killed beaten my mom to death..." said Cyrus. Wow...I had no idea my friends were suffering this much. And I thought I was the one with big problems! I was the only one who seemed to have a good home. I looked up at Sonic and gave him the infamous "Puppy-Dog Eyes". I could tell Sonic wanted to say no, but he couldn't resist.

"...Alright. They can come along." Sonic said sighing. Evra let out a squeal and she hugged me tightly. I hugged her back, very happy that she was getting away from they evil woman she called a mother. I wished she told me about it. I would've gave that wmoan a piece of my mind.

"Evra, sorry to say, but you're gonna have to leave your clothes behind." I said.

"I don't care about clothes! They can be replaced! I only bought those things because they made me happy whenever I was out of the house...the only thing that truely makes me happy now is Brendon." said Evra. We all suddenly heard a soft ring rise into the room. I looked over at Sonic, and he pulled out some sort of hand-held device that kinda looked like an iPhone, only it was orange. He looked at the screen a bit before he put it back in his pants pocket.

"Alright guys! The portal's open. Let's head on out back into the forest," Sonic said "Dawn, go get your Chaos Emerald. I already have mine." I nodded before I ran into my room and picked up my sphere that contained my blue Chaos Emerald. Sonic said I had to keep the case, so I carried it out of my room and went back into the living room. Everyone was heading out to the backyard, and I followed them. I saw a Warp Ring suspended into the air, and everyone was jumping into it. Sonic waited for me after everyone else went through it. Sonic held my hand as I walked up, and we both jumped through the ring and was now back in Darkwood Forest. Everyone was gathering around two Star Posts. So _that's _how they got here! I saw Rotor knelt down next to one fiddling with it with a wrench. After a few more turns, he closed the hatch and wipes some sweat off of his forehead.

"They're done, Blue! We can go home now!" he said.

"Good! Now activate them so we can get outta here." said Sonic. Rotor nodded before he pulled out another device similar to the one Sonic had and typed something into it. Sudeenly, the Star Posts began to glow, and a portal appeared in front of us. Looks like the time has finally come...Though it was a bit earlier than expected, I was finally going to Mobius. I was finally going home...

* * *

**End Notes: **Just to let you all know, chapter eight will be delayed. Sorry, but things are changing here in my personal life. So I highly doubt that I'll get the next chapter up tomorrow. Sorry, and I _really _wanted to do it too!

I hope you all enjoyed this one though. And, if any of you read the comics like I do, then you'll know who Scourge was talking about up there. Dr. Robotnik/Dr. Eggman won't be appearing in this fic. Sorry guys ^^;;

Anyways, see you all next time! God bless, and Merry Christmas! ^^


	9. Trip Home Denied!

**_Chapter Eight_**

**_Tuesday_**

**_8:34pm_**

**_Darkwood Forest_**

I had numerous of emotions going through me right now. I was finally goind to Mobius! This is a chance you only get once in a lifetime! I was leaving the home I grew up in for my true home..I had to admit, I was a little sad. This was the only place I knew. And now to move away...especially to another planet, it made me a little sad. Sonic was the first one to walk up to the Star Posts, with me close behind him. Sonic held my hand again and we walked up to the portal, only to be stopped after we saw a silver object fly past us and to one of the Star Posts. It hit the left one and pierced it. Spraks escaped the post and the portal began to disappear. Sonic pulled me back and shield me from the malfuntioning Star Post. The sparks continued to fly through the air for a while before they finally stopped. I looked up at the ruined post. A metal object in the shape of a knife, and smoke began to rise from the post.

"It's ruined!" Bunnie exclaimed.

"Looks like someone wants to delay our leave..." said Shadow.

"But who? I thought G.U.N didn't know you all were here..." I said as I got out of Sonic's arms.

"Well, well, well...It's so nice to finally meet you, Princess Dawn." Hold on...who was that? That voice didn't sound familiar to me at all...When I turned around though, I knew it was...There was a white echidna wearing a black cape standing in front of Scourge and the whole Supression Squad. I knew who was the echidna right away..._It was Dr. Finitevus! _After reading all of the Sonic comics, I know what this guy's all about. He reawakened Enerjak in Knuckles, and he wanted to use him to destroy Mobius! Kknuckles's father, Locke, sacrificed himself in order to save his son...Since then, Knuckles wants to get his revenge and avenge his father. The sad thing is that Dr. Finitevus wasn't always a bad guy...He was a good scientist before a freak accident. In fact, he looked like a normal red echidna. But, after absorbing energy from Chaos Knuckles, not only did it alter his physical appearence, but also his mind.

"**_YOU!! _**What are _you _doing here?!" Knuckles demanded. Dr. Finitevus let out a small chuckle as he took three steps forward.

"Calm yourself, Guardian. I have no quarrel with you." Finitevus replied calmly. I moved behind Sonic and bit and held his hand a little tighter.

"How charming. It seems you have quite a bond with your father, though you two have just met," Finitevus said "But this is normal. You two are basically in sync with each other."

"W-what are you talking about?" I asked.

"Oh, you don't now? How...amusing. I'd thought your father would've told you," he said "You and you're father share a very, _very _special and close bond. Your spirits are in sync. You each can feel what the other's feeling, you both can hear the other's innermost thoughts, and you both can feel what the other is feeling. There is even a chance that you two can channel your power through each other. Even when you two were separated, you two still were connected with each other..."

"Why did you trap us here?!" Sonic demanded.

"I just wanted to get aquainted with the princess. Is that so wrong?" Finitevus replied.

"That still doesn't explain why you trapped us here!" Knuckles yelled.

"Oh hush now. Everything will be explained soon enough..." he said "Now then, Princess, would you mind coming with me for a short while? Be warned that if you refuse, things will be made a _lot _harder than they already are. But if you agree, we won't have to do anything rash."

"Rotor! Get those Star Posts back online, and quick!" Soinc demanded.

"On it, Blue!" Rotor said before he took out his tools and began to try to repair the ruined Star Post.

"I think it'd be wise if you do as the Doctor says, Your Highness." Miles said stepping forward.

"Bite me." I growled while I ears folded against my head in agitation.

"Tsk tsk tsk...I always knew you were going to be such a rebellious girl. I should've known you were going to give me problems..." Finitevus said while shaking his head. The Supression Squad and the Freedom Fighters got into a sort of attacking position. I was still behind Sonic a bit, and I never released his hand. Brendon, Cyrus and Evra took cover behind some trees in a distance. It kind of looked like they were going to hold some kind of war with both teams on opposing sides. Which is normal. The Freedom Fighters and the Supression Squad have been going at it ever since they found out each other's existence. But...what did Dr. Finitevus want with me? It was a bit strange...

"How about we do this: I do not wish to resolve this with any form of violence. I only wish to gather a little information on Dawn's Chaos Powers. I just want to know how they're triggered, nothing more," he said "If you'd be willing to cooperate with me, I'll help you rebuild the Star Posts in return."

"I wouldn't trust him, Sonic..." Knuckles whispered.

"But you guys can't fight here either. I saw how you all fight. There's gonna be a war going on, and that'd get everyone's attention!" I warned. Sonic went silent for a minute. He was glaring at Dr. Finitevus with a bit of anger in his eyes.

"...Alright." he finally said.

"Sonic, NO!!" Shadow exclaimed.

"BUT, I do not completely trust you, Finitevus. I'm coming with you to keep an eye on you. I want to make sure you won't do anything to harm Dawn..." Sonic added.

"What ever makes you comfortable, Your Majesty. Now, if both of you will follow me, please." The Supression Squad split apart in order to let Dr. Finitevus, Sonic and I walk past them. Sonic and I followed him when he began to walk past the group, but Sonic held my hand close, and he held me tight to him. Dr. Finitevus walked a few more paces before he took a Warp Ring off of his belt. It lifted into the sky and grew ten times its normal size.

"Shadow, Knuckles! You two are in charge until I get back. Make sure nothing happens while I'm gone." said Sonic. Shadow and Knuckles nodded before Sonic turned back toward Dr. Finitevus, who was standing in front of the Warp Ring's entrance.

"We won't be gone long. You two come this way." he said before he went through the Warp Ring. Sonic was a bit hesitant but he ld onto my hand and he went through the ring with me right behind him. What's Finitevus really planning? What ever it was, it's not going to be good. We'd just have to trust his words and hope that he won't harm me in any kind of way.

* * *

**_9:26pm_**

**_Unknown Lab_**

Dr. Finitevus, Sonic and I were now in some sort of abandoned lab. There were broken capsules around the room, but there were some that were untouched and full of different color liquids. There were a lot of lab tools, tables, and broken down computers throughout the room. Wires were hanging down from the ceiling, and some of the lights were flickering on and off a lot. There were shards of glass on the floor here and there, and there was a sort of old, basement smell in the entire lab. Dr. Finitevus walked over to a steel circular pad that was next to a large computer. It was obviously the main computer of this lab.

"Please stand on this pad, Your Highness..." he said while pointing to the steel pad. I looked up at Sonic and gave him a sort of worried look. I could tell he was just as uncomfortable as I was, but he nodded at me to let me know it was ok. I was hesitant, but I walked over to the pad and stood on it. Once I was in position, Dr. Finitevus began to type on the computer's keyboard, and the computer came on. I also noticed that the pad I was standing on began to glow. That's when a large ring like machine began to lower from the ceiling. It let out a soft _whirr _sound as it lowered until it stopped at the top of my head. Dr. Finitevus typed on the computer's keyboard again, and this time the ring began to glow multiple colors on its inner ring.

The ring lowered slowly down my head and down to the rest of my body. It looked like the ring was scanning me. I looked over at the computer and saw a computerized version on my figure scroll onto the screen as the ring moved down my body. Once my body was fully on the screen, the multicolored lights went off, and the ring rose back into the ceiling. There were a lot of numbers, mathematical equations, and DNA particles appear on screen. I noticed that my computerized figured was also in multiple colors.

"Amazing..." Dr. Finitevus mused out loud. "The girl's body holds enough Chaos Power as if she was a living Chaos Emerald...Not telling what will happen if she had all seven!"

"So you mean she's like Chaos Knuckles, right? Since he was a living Chaos Emerald?" Sonic asked.

"Not quite. Her power seems to be...altered." Finitevus said.

"What do you mean 'altered'?" I asked.

"It seems like you can Manipulate the power of the Chaos Emerald in any way. Even use elements like fire, water, ice or lightning." he explained. He began to type on the keyboard again, and more scientific nonsense I couldn't make out appeared onto the screen. Dr. Finitevus looked very interested in the information that was displayed. He then took out a type of black card off of his belt that looked like a flah drive. He plugged it into the computer, and the information was transferred from the computer and into the flash drive. That's when Finitevus shut off the computer and walked back over to us.

"I found out everything I wanted to know. Now then, let's go back." Finitevus said as he walked back to me and Sonic. Finitevus then took out another Warp Ring from his belt. The same thing repeated, and we went into the ring and reappeared back in Darkwood Forest. The Supression Squad and the Freedom fighters were still on opposing sides. They looked like they had a few confrontations, since there was a lot of tension in the air. Upon our return, both teams looked at us with surprised expressions.

"What happened?" Shadow asked.

"Nothing. Everything went fine surprisingly..." Sonic replied. Everyone seemed relieved to know that Finitevus wasn't going to harm me in any way. But...something wasn't right. I felt very unpleasant for some reason....I felt like something bad was about to happen. But, I didn't know what it was. Should I tell Sonic about it? He'd surely know what's wrong since he seems to know more about me.

"Hey! We had a deal, remember? Shouldn't you get these Star Posts back up?" Knuckles demanded with a hint of anger in his voice. I looked back over at Dr. Finitevus, and there was something...odd about him. It looked as if he had a kind of look in his eyes as if he was planning something...He was glaring at all of us. That's when he suddenly raised his hand from underneath his cape, and sanpped his fingers. Suddenly, the device that was wedged in one of the Star Post began to let out some sort of beeping noise. We all turned toward it to see a red light flash on and off. _That thing is going to explode..._I was wrong.

The device suddenly released some sort white gas. It spread to all of us, but it spared Finitevus and the Supression Squad. All of the Freedom Fighters and my friends began to cough, including me. The gas smelled terrible. It was a cross between rotten milk and a dead animal. That's when I started to feel very drowsy...Oh no...he's putting us to sleep! I knew something wasn't right about him! Soon, most of the coughing began to cease, and I saw everyone begin to collapse onto the ground, including my blue hero and father. I, on the other hand, tried to keep my composure, but the gas was stronger than I thought. It wasn't long before I too, collasped onto the ground. I didn't pass out right away, but everything went completely black a few moments later...My fate, as well as the fate of the people (well, mostly anthros and three humans) around me, rested in the hands of evil beings and a somewhat psychotic doctor...

* * *

**_Tuesday_**

**_10:17pm_**

**_Unknown Location_**

My head was throbbing in pain once again. I felt like how I felt this morning when I woke up on my head. This time, however, I was lying on a cold, concrete floor. Usually, this would've been really uncomfortable if I was still a human. But since I'm a hedgehog now, I didn't really feel the coldness of the floor thanks to my fur. In fact, I didn't feel the coldness at all. I only felt it on my muzzle. I slowly sat up and rubbed my head a little before I opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings. It was dark, where ever I was. I also noticed that I was in a jail cell of some sort. It was rather large, but I was alone. I walked up to the bars and placed my hands around them. It looked like we were back in the abandoned lab from before. But...I couldn't tell. There was almost no light down here, and the only thing I could see was the faint moonlight pouring in through one of the windows.

"Sonic?? Are you there??" I called. Hey, I know it was too typical whenever someone's kidnapped, and finds herself in a cell. But hey! I didn't want to be alone.

"I'm right here, sweetie." I heard Sonic's voice echo throughout the area. He seemed close by...In fact, it sounded like he was right next to me.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"It looks like I'm in the cell next to you." he replied.

"Where are the others? Are they ok?"

"They're fine. They're in the cell with me." I let out a small sigh of relief. At least my friends and everyone were ok...But, why was I in a cell alone? I mean...my cell alone is freakin' huge. It's not like I wouldn't fit in the cell with the others. It looks like ol' Fini had played us all for fools after all...It wasn't long before a few lights suddenly came on and illuminated the room. I found out that we were indeed back at the lab. But, were on the far side of the room. I didn't even know that these cells were in here. I saw all the computers, and even the pad I stood on earlier when we came here. I began to hear the sound of footsteps in the room, but that's when I saw Scourge walk across the room and towards my cell.

"Sleep well, puddin'?" he asked as he walked up, grinning wickedly with his sharp, sharky teeth. My ears flattened and I sneered at him.

"What's going on?!" I demanded.

"Ah nothin'...It's just ol' Finitevus has a plan for this dumb puny planet." Scourge replied as he began to fiddle with his claws a little. Huh...So most of those fanfics I find on the internet were true. I guess hedgehogs do have claws...

"What are you talking about now?!" I heard Sonic yell from the other cell.

"Ah knock it off, Blue. All I can say is this: We don't need to go back to Mobius now. We had it all planned." said Scourge.

"Had what planned??" I demanded. That's when we heard the sound of another door opening and closing, along with the sound of footsteps. It wasn't long before we saw a very familiar white echidna wearing a black cape come into the room. His whole attention was on me.

"Hello there, Your Highness. How was your nap?" he said as he walked up and stood next to Scourge. He too, had a wicked grin on his face. I backed away from the bars a bit, my sneer deepening.

"I knew you were up to something!" I exclaimed "What are you trying to do now?!" Finitevus chuckled as he walked a little closer to the bars.

"I had Scourge put a tracker on you while you too were at the fair," he explained "We tracked your every movement. But the tracker also served as a microphone, so we were able to listen in on your conversation."

"You were eavesdropping?!" Sonic demanded.

"After hearing what you and the others talked about, Scourge and I altered our plans a bit. You see, after hearing the story of Brendon, Cyrus and Evra, I felt bad. It's bad enough that the humans on Mobius are idiots enough, but your friends' parents are so **_idiotic, _**that they purposely put their children in pain!! I realized that it isn't Mobius that needs to be purged, but it's this planet!! That's why I purposely destroyed the Star Posts! This planet needs to be purified!! That's why I had to get as much information on you as possible! If I can just harness your power without harming you...I can turn every worthless, bare skinned insect on this planet into more superior beings!"

"All in all babe, the ol' doc's plannin' on changing Earth into another Mobius, by turning every inhabitant into an anthro." said Scourge.

"What?! But you can't do that!!" Shadow yelled.

"Oh, but I can. I was already able to create a substance that can change a human into an anthro. The solar eclipse helped me, of course. After studying both Scourge and Dawn, I was able to come up with a solution."

"B-but...but I don't want to be an overgrown rat!!" I heard Evra whine.

"HEY!! WE'RE HEDGEHOGS, NOT RATS!!" Sonic, Shadow, Silver, Scourge and I yelled at the same time. Hey, I know I've been a hedgehog for a short time, but hearing someone call you something as insulting as a rat, you'd be pretty pissed too. I mean, come on! A hedgehog and a rat are _NOT _part of the same speicies!...I think...I heard Finitevus let out a small chuckle as he crossed his arms.

"Calm down, Evra. You can choose what kind of anthro you want to be," he said "You can choose between a hedgehog, to a fox, to a cat, a dog or wolf, or even become a cute panda bear."

"Oooh!! I LOVE panda bears!!" Evra squealed.

"EVRA!! This is serious here!!" I yelled, clearly agitated by Evra. But I couldn't stay mad at her though. She was only acting like any other teenage girly-girl should. Everyone has those days where they wished they could be an animal at some point. I heard Scourge laugh a bit while Dr. Finitevus cleared his throat.

"Now then...back onto the subject; Princess, be assured that I'm not going to...let's say, 'kill' the humans. We're just simply wiping them out of existance, by evolving them." he said.

"But why? Why do you want to change all the humans of Earth into...er...anthros?" Brendon asked.

"Simple: You humans...are pathetic. You're destroying your own planet."

"Oh God...please don't go into the whole 'Global Warming' thing, please..." I begged.

"That's not what I meant, Your Highness. I meant you're destroying your own planet by destroying _yourselves. _Betraying those who are close to you, killing the innocent, doing horrible things to your own children for money...the list goes on! Do you not care for your puny pathetic lives??"

"But Mobius is far worse!! I read all of the comics!! Things are just as bad there as it is here!!" I protested.

"That may be, but everything was fine until a **_HUMAN _**came along and ruined everything!! Ever since Robotnik came to Mobius, he destroyed everything!! And he was a **_human!!! _**That's how all these sins began!! Humans are responsible for the Great War!! Everything went downhill from that!! In fact, I believe that purposely passed an illness to your mother and killed her!!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!!" I yelled as I gripped the bars on the cell tightly and pushed my muzzle through one of the spaces "You don't know what killed my mother!! It could've been any kind of illness!! But that doesn't mean that humans were the cause of it!!"

"ARE YOU BLIND?! Your father was an absolute **FOOL **to transfer your embyro to a human's!! They brainwashed you!! You've grown fond of this creatures to the point where you're defending them!! Do you not see the wrong they've caused?! I'm trying to save this pathetic planet so they'd be spared from the pain of what we suffered when Robotnik first showed up!! The only way to ensure that is to turn them into our own kind!!"

"But Robotnik's dead!!! You don't have to worry about him anymore!! Finitevus, please listen to me!! This planet may have wrongs but there are good sides to it too!! There are good people out there who **_CARE!! _**They're not the idiots like my friends' parents or the criminals out here!! Changing a planet because there are many wrongs to it doesn't change anything!! Those wrongs can follow it, making it worse!!"

"I'M ONLY TRYING TO SAVE THIS PLANET!! DO YOU NOT SEE THAT?!"

"How can you save a planet by 'evolving' an entire species?! Doing this can potentially kill them all!!"

"ENOUGH!!" Dr. Finitevus was now baring his teeth with his muzzle almost touching the bars of my cell. The tip of our noses were almost touching. I could even smell his breath with each breath he took. Jeez...does this guy love fruit or something? He breath smelled like a fruit salad! Well...at least the smell was pleasant. He looked pretty angry ever since we continued our little argument. He soon close his mouth, backed away from the cell and took slow deep breaths.

"I refuse to argue with you, Princess. You have your opinion, and I have mine," he said "But hear this: You cannot stop me...This planet will soon be ridded of these insects, and a new era will come upon us. Now then, I bid you goodnight, Your Highness." Dr. Finitevus turned around and walked out of the room, with Scourge right behind him. They disappeared behind a door, leaving us alone. I was a bit shocked by the whole ordeal. I slowly backed away from the bars until I was against a wall. I pressed my back against the wall as I slowly slid down until I was in a sitting position. Usually, an argument like that wouldn't leave me like this. But see, the reason I was like this was because...I agreed with him. This planet...Earth has so many problems with it. In fact, I _WANTED _him to change every inhabitant here to be anthros...This was a like a small dream I once had! But...there was another part of me that knew all of this was wrong...But what really had me is that...I felt bad for Finitevus. He was never like this...I wanted to help him in any way I could. I knew he was still that kind, sweet doctor deep down...

"Dawn...Sugar, are you all right?" I heard Bunnie ask.

"Y-yeah...I'm ok..." I replied a bit shakily.

"What do we do now...?" Brendon asked quietly.

"There's only one thing to do: We get out of here and stop Finitevus." I replied.

"But how? We're locked in!" Evra cried. I didn't reply. I pulled out my blue Chaos Emerald out of my quills (hey, I planned before time. But I wasn't about to tell you all; I thought it'd be a surprise) and disappeared in a flash a light. I then reappeared in front of the others' cell. Once Sonic and the others saw me out of the cell, they all ran up to the bars, with obvious relieved expressions on their faces.

"I'll be right back. I'll get you guys out once I take care of something real quick." I said.

"Wait, what are you about to do?" Sonic asked.

"I'm gonna help Finitevus."

"WHAAAT?! DAWN, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Knuckles demanded.

"Look, I know what you all think, but I want to help him! He was never this evil!! In fact, he tried to help you, Knuckles!!" I protested.

"But he killed my father!! I won't forgive him for that!!" he yelled.

"I'm not gonna try and reason with you. I'm going to help him, no matter what you say."

"Dawn, DON'T!!" Sonic yelled. But his cry came a bit too late. I had already ran out of the room. Yes, Dr. Finitevus is evil. Yes, I know he can kill me. Yes, I do realize what I was doing was crazy. But, that wasn't about to let that stop me. The only thing the comics showed was Finitevus' bad side. His good side was still deep within him, and I was going to help him. I had to admit, I was scared; but I didn't want to give up. I'd had to confront him again to maybe change his mind about this. If I can't...then I don't know what I'll do after that. But it doesn't hurt to try, right? I just hope that doing this doesn't kill me...

* * *

**End Notes: **Surprise!! I decided to continue!! I knew you all were disappointed after the series ended a bit too quickly, so I decided to continue!!

I hope you liked it! ^^

R&R please!

Thanks for reading, God bless!


	10. New Era of Anthros

**_Chapter Nine_**

**_Tuesday_**

**_10:32pm_**

**_Unknown Lab_**

I should've known. I should've known that Finitevus knew I could just Chaos Control my way out of my cell and confront him. I should've known he'd send his most annoying underling to stop me. _You're an idiot Dawn..._Why didn't I have any backup? There I was, standing alone in a corridor, face to face with my worst enemy: Scourge. I didn't even get that far from where I was. I only made it out of our holding room and halfway down the main corridor. That's when I saw ol' GreenBean standing in the middle of the corridor with his arms crossed, staring directly at me. _Where's Fiona where you need her?_

"Goin' somewhere, puddin'?" he asked leaning against the wall a bit.

"Out of my way Scourge! And stop calling me that!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry babe. Number one: I'm not gonna let you stop the Doctor's plans. Number two: Would you rather have me call you 'cookie' or "cupcake'?"

"Response to number one: I can't allow Finitevus to carry out with this! Response to number two: Nevermind..." Scourge then got off the wall and began to walk towards me. He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands in his jacket pockets by this point. I backed away a bit, but I wasn't afraid. I just didn't want him too close to me.

"You know I can't let ya pass," he said "so, I have no choice but to stop you here."

"I'm not afraid to fight you, Greenie." I growled. _Stop lying to yourself, Dawn..._Scourge knelt down a bit until he was in his attack position. I stayed standing, with both of my hands balled into fists. In a split second, Scourge curled into a ball and tried to Spin Dash me. Luckily, my reflexes were just as fast as Greenie's, and I was able to dodge him. All I had to do was duck and slide a bit, and I was home free. Now, we were on opposite sides. I was on the end of the corridor where Scourge was, and Scourge was now on my end. He uncurled out of his Spin Dash form and landed swiftly on his feet. He turned towards me, smiling evilly. He placed his hands back in his jacket pockets and began to walk towards me again.

"Heh, you're pretty fast, just like your old man," he said "But that's not enough to get away from me." _Screw Fiona...Where the hell is Rosy?! Hold on..._

"What the--Rosy's here too?!" I exclaimed, looking past Scourge.

"WHAAAAT?!" Scourge immediately turned around, obviously worried that his long-time stalker would be here. I didn't think that'd actually work, but I proved myself wrong before. Using the situation to my advantage, I ran full speed down the corridor until I reached the door at the end of it. I could hear Scourge's rapid footsteps behind me. He was most likely pissed that I was able to fool him so easily. Luckily for me, I got through the door and closed it behind me. There was a loud **_thud! _**heard at the other end of the door, but it was repeated. He was trying to break through the door. I thought I was safe, (kinda) that is, until I turned around...

Standing over a lab table was Dr. Finitevus himself. He was fiddling with some liquid in a few beakers with his back towards me. He poured some purple liquid into another beaker that contained some clear liquid. When the two substances collided, the liquid changed to the color yellow for some reason.

"So good to see you again, Princess," he said without even turning around "I'm not surprised you were able to get past Scourge."

"I won't even say anything. You know why I'm here." I said stepping towards him a little.

"Then there's no reason for us to exchange words then, hm?"

"Look, I can understand where you're coming from, and I agree with you. It was a dream of mine where I wish everyone here were anthros, and I wish I could be one too."

"If that's so, then why are you trying to stop me from acheiving my goal?"

"Because now that I know that a world such as Mobius exists, there's no need to do this!"

"Mobius is now ruined thanks to that fool. There's no need to go back."

"Yes there is! We can't stay here! Don't you realize what they'll do once they see us?!"

"Hmhm...my dear, that's only an excuse. Once this solution spreads to the entire population, there will be no need for an uproar. However...I'm not sure if this'll work. Therefore, I sent Scourge to get a little lab rat to test it."

"L-lab rat...?" That's when I heard the door behind me open and close. I turned around to see Miles and Ally holding a very frightened Evra. They had handcuffs on her and they were both holding her arms on each side. Though she was glad to see me, I could tell she was still scared.

"D-Dawn!! Help me!!" she cried, struggling to get out of the two anthros' grip.

"Strap her down to the table there." Finitevus instructed as he pointed to a surgeon table with two buckles at the middle and close to the edge. I tried to lunge at Miles and Ally to try and get Evra away from them, but that when I felt a force on my back that pushed me down to the floor. I tried to get back up, but that's when I saw two gloved hands pin my wrists down onto the floor. When a saw the shiny leather, I immediately knew who it was.

"GET OFF OF ME!!" I yelled.

"Sorry puddin'. But I can't let ya ruin our plans." Scourge whispered into my ear. I swear, just hearing his voice made a very unpleasant chill go down my spine. What made it worse is that he talked right into my ear. And since my hearing is enhanced now that I'm a hedgehog...you get the idea. I heard Evra whimper as I saw Miles and Ally push her over to the table. I struggled as much as I could, but Scourge proved stronger than me. I wasn't even able to make him move just a little bit. There was nothing I could do...I could only watch in horror as they strapped poor Evra on the metal table.

I looked over to see Dr. Finitevus pull out a syringe and draw some of the yellow liquid into the needle. He then walked up to Evra, who looked terrified once she saw the needle. _Uh oh..._Bad call there Fini. Evra **_hated _**shots. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. I looked over to see Miles cover her eyes while Ally pinned her legs and feet down against the table. Looks they figured out Evra and shots don't get along...

"W-what are you about to do?!" Evra cried.

"Calm down. The doctor is doing you all a favor." said Miles.

"Just keep her still. We'll make this really quick." Finitevus said as he approached the terrified girl.

"Finitevus, no!! Don't do it!!" I begged. But I was too late. I saw the albino echidna inject the needle into Evra right shoulder. She let out small yelps as she felt the need go into her flesh. Once the substance was gone and injected into her body, Finitevus took the need out of Evra's shoulder and disposed of it. Miles moved his hand off of Evra's eyes while Ally released her legs. Scourge, however, kept me pinned down on the floor. _I really hope he's not enjoying this..._

"W-wait...wh-what's going to happened to me now...?" Evra choked out.

"It won't be long now..." I heard Scourge say.

"That liquid you injected her with...it's gonna turn her into an anthro, isn't it?!" I demanded.

"There's only one way to find out." said Ally. Suddenly, Evra began to groan in pain. I looked up, and my eyes widened in horror. Evra was growing fur all over her body! She was growing a long tail, and her ears migrated to the top of her head. I could tell that she was going through the same thing I went through when I turned back into a hedgehog. I couldn't even look at her anymore...I shut my eyes and just waited until the transformation was complete. It seemed like an eternity, but it was only three minutes later when the groaning stopped, and I could hear Evra panting a bit. When I looked back at her, I was surprised.

Evra was now an anthropomorphic rabbit. She was covered in orange fur, but her hair on her head remained brown and long. She had two long ears on top of her head, and she had a white muzzle and belly. Apparently, I couldn't see her well since GreenBean was pinning me down to the floor. That's when I saw Miles and Ally unstrap Evra, and they both carried her back out of the room. Her body looked limb...It looked like she was unconscious when they carried her out. I looked back up at Dr. Finitevus, who had a wicked smile on his face.

"Well, it looks like that the experiment was a complete sucess," he said "Now all I have to do is change this into a gas and spread it on the entire planet."

"NO!! I won't let you!!" I shouted and I began to struggle again.

"It's about time that you cease these futile efforts. Evra's already our kin, and there's no way to reverse it. The other two are next, and then it's on to the whole population."

"Hopefully when we do this, there will be no humans left. And Earth will be the new Mobius." said Scourge.

"What about Evra?! And the others?!" I demanded.

"Evra's fine. She's just a little exhausted, a normal side effect. Brendon and Cyrus will go through the same thing. As for your father and the other Freedom Fighters...well, let's just say that they won't be here once we're done."

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Don't worry babe. Your pop as well and the others are gonna be locked up nice and tight in the No Zone...forever," Scourge said "And when that happens...you'll stay here."

"But Why do i have to stay here?!" I demanded.

"You _are _a princess, correct? And Scourge is a king..." Finitevus said grinning.

"NOOO!! That's worse than death!! I don't want to be forced to marry **_Scourge!!" _**Why did my dad have to be a king? In fact, why did my dad's doppelganger had to be a king?! Scourge held both of my wrists together and pulled me up to my feet. He began to push me out of the room and back into the main corridors.

"W-wait a minute...What about Fiona? Wasn't she your girlfriend and queen?" I asked as we entered the corridor.

"Fiona who?" Scourge said as he chuckled evilly. I did not like the sound of that...Scourge pushed me down the hall until we were met by both Miles and Ally. Miles suddenly pulled a red scarf out of his pocket and walked toward me. In a swift movement, he tied the scarf around my eyes, blinding me.

"H-HEY!! What're you doing?!" I exclaimed.

"Oh knock it off." Ally said before Scourge pushed me into walking again. I didn't like this...I didn't like this at all. Where were they taking me? What's going to be the fate of my dad and my friends? What's going to happen to me, and everyone on this planet? And is Scourge going to become my stalker like Amy is to Sonic and Rosy to Scourge? If so, I'm going need a restraining order ASAP...

After five minutes, my unpleasant stroll finally came to an end. I could tell we were in another room, since I heard a metal door open and close. Scourge was still holding on to my arms, but I heard either Ally or Miles walk somewhere in the room, and then walk back. Soon, I heard a loud hissing sound. Soon after, I started to smell something...gross. It smelled like a mix of rotten milk and something dead like an animal or something..._Uh no...It's the sleeping gas from before!! _Too late. Before I knew it, I was out cold. Scourge realeased my wrists as I fell to the floor. Even though I was already blinded by the blindfold, everything went completely black once again.

* * *

**_Wensday_**

**_12:49am_**

**_Unknown Lab_**

I was getting really tired of waking up with a pain in my head. This is the third freakin' time!! This time, I was lying down on something soft, but uncomfortable. I sat up and held my head a little. I want to go home...And when I say home, I mean Mobius. I opened my eyes slowly before I scanned my surroundings. I was on an old bed of some kind. Or, at least, it was _supposed _to be a bed. It was actually an old matress placed on another lab or examination table. It was lowered to the floor to make it look like a bed. I heard something like a TV or something going on in the background. That's when I looked over towards the middle of the room to see two very familiar figures looking at a screen.

Dr. Finitevus and Scourge were looking up at a large computer monitor. Finitevus had his arms behind his back while Scourge had his hands behind his head. The green hedgie's left ear turned toward me as the bed let out small squeaks as I moved on it a bit. Scourge then turned around, and when he saw me up, he grinned slyly.

"She's awake, Doc." he said.

"How convenient." Finitevus said without even turning around, or even moving.

"You're just in time, babe." Scourge said, his grin widening.

"What are you talking about?" I asked standing up.

"Come see for yourself." I got up from the bed and walked cautiosly over towards the computer. I only got close enough until I was able to see what was on the screen. When I saw the contents that were on the screen, however, I nearly had a heart attack...

On the screen were the humans of Earth running around in panic as a cloud of yellow gas poured down from what looked like a very large blimp. As the gas poured down, I saw the majority of the humans began to fall to the ground in pain as fur began to cover their bodies, and their ears began to change shape and migrate to the top of their heads (or their ears disappeared if some of them turned into echidnas). _They're turning into anthros!! _I couldn't stop him...

"You were out for quite a while, Your Highness," Dr. Finietus said "While you were enjoying a nice long nap, I was able to complete my experiment. And now it's spreading all over the planet as we speak."

"It's already lookin' like a new Mobius, and _I'm _going to rule it! Oh wait, correction: _We're _going to rule it." said Scourge.

"I'd NEVER be your queen! Maybe I couldn't stop this, but I won't let you rule the planet!" I yelled.

"Rebellious, isn't she?" Finitevus said as he turned towards me "There isn't much you can do at this point. I suggest you give it up." _How about I just keep trying? _There was only one thing for me to do now. I pulled out my blue Chaos Emerald out of my quills again and disappeared in a flash of light. I then reappeared back in the holding room Sonic and the others were being held. But, once again, I was a little too late. Brendon and Cyrus had already fallen to Finitevus's anthro gas. Brendon was dark brown bat while Cyrus was a black ferret. When Sonic and the others saw me coming, they immeditely ran up to the bars. I ran towards the bars as well, and held both of Sonic's hands.

"You're ok!" he exclaimed letting out a sigh of relief.

"I know, but I couldn't stop him..." I said sadly.

"That doesn't matter! Your safety is just as important!"

"But what about the people? Dr. Finitevus turned them into anthros now!"

"But they're not dead..." _Point taken, dad..._I looked around the room a bit until a saw a key ring hanging off of a hook next to a desk on the other side of the room. I ran over to it, took the keys and ran back over to the cell using my speed that was equal to my blue blurred father. There was only a single key on the entire ring, so it was obviously the key to the cell. I used the key and unlocked the cell (obviously) and released everyone from their prison. Sonic immediately ran out of the cell and gave me a rather tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you..." he said.

"W-why..?" I asked, trying to get out of his tight grip.

"Because you were able to stand up against the Supression Squad and Finitevus with no one behind you. Sure you failed, but you showed a lot of bravery and determination. You knew the odds, you knew that there was a possibility of failure, but that didn't stop you. That in itself is the definition of a true Freedom Fighter and princess."

"But let's stop dwadling here. We gotta stop Finitevus and Scourge!" Shadow said stepping forward.

"Stop me? I'm afraid it's already too late for that, my friend." _Right on cue, Fini..._We all turned around to see Dr. Finitevus, Scourge and the Supression Squad enter from the metal door and step into the holding room.

"There's not much you can do now, Freedom Fighters. Nearly 80% of the human population are anthros now." he said.

"That may be, but we won't allow you or Scourge take over the planet!" I shouted.

"We'll see about that..." Scourge said stepping forward.

"Dawn, get you and your friends out of here. Things are gonna get ugly here..." Sonic said pushing me back towards the cell a little. I couldn't argue about that. As much as I wanted to stay and help the others fight, I knew that my friends' safety came first. I ran over to my now anthropomorphic friends and held them close as I pulled out my blue Chaos Emerald out of my quills again. The four of us then disappeared in another flash of light. I didn't have an exact destination this time; I just knew we couldn't stay there anymore. There was about to be an all out war in that lab. I just hope that Sonic could win...Maybe I wasn't able to stop Finitevus, but I knew Sonic could. I could only hope that things wouldn't get worse...But, that's impossible, isn't it?

* * *

**End Notes: **I updated soon! Yay! :D

Sorry to say, but chapter ten might be delayed. Also, I'm going to open a forum and I want all of the fans of this series to give me some story ideas to continue Emerald Kisses. Post your ideas, ok? ^^

Thansk for reading!

R&R please, but be easy on me. See you later, and God bless!! ^^


	11. Mobion

**_Chapter Ten_**

**_Wensday_**

**_1:40am_**

**_Darkwood Forest_**

I couldn't think of any other place we could go to at the moment. The only reasonable and somewhat safe place we could be at the moment was Darkwood Forest. There we were, the four of us, standing around in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night. _A goodnight's sleep would be great right about now..._But who could sleep in a time like this? The whole planet was in peril. Almost all the humans of Earth are turning into anthros, and I couldn't even stop it. What kind of princess am I?

We were all pretty bummed right now. Cyrus was leaning on a tree with his arms crossed and his ears drooping, Brendon and Evra sat together under a pine tree, and I just stood there in the middle of them, trying to think of way to somehow advance. Advance how? You tell me! Evra continuously examined herself in her compact. Her ears were drooping as well, but I think there's no other way she could move them. Brendon was trying his best to try and comfort his upset mate, but he wasn't doing so well. Evra pulled at her ears, poked her little nose and even turned around a few times to see her puffball of a tail wag occasionally.

"Don't be sad, Evra," I said "At least your something cute like a bunny! You love bunnies!" Evra's ears perked back up, but her right ear hung over while her left ear stood up straight.

"I know...but...it's not about my appearence," she said "What's going to happen to the world now? What that doctor said about what he was going to do with our world...Is it really going to happen?" My ears flattened against my head. She had a good point there...We couldn't let Dr. Finitevus carry out with this. I really hate to admit it, but I thought it was _very _cool that everyone on Earth was turning into anthros. But, I sound a bit selfish, don't I?

"I really hope dad is ok..." I said out loud.

"You shouldn't worry. Your dad's a hero, right? He's dealt with this kind of thing in the comics and games. He should be fine!" Brendon said.

"I know...but that doesn't mean that he can't die..." Cyrus then walked up to me and patted my shoulder. I looked over at him, and he was smiling at me. He didn't say anything, but I knew he was trying to make me feel better. I smiled back, letting him know that I appreciaed his efforts.

"Hey, I really hate to change the subject, but..." Cyrus then spread out his wings and pointed at them with his thumb. "How do I work these things?"

"It should come to you naturally," I said "Like how I Spin Dashed earlier. I didn't know how, but it came to me like an instinct. It should happen to the rest of you."

"But what can a bunny do? I mean, I know you said that Bunnie can kick and fight and such, but she has robotic parts! I'm all flesh and blood!" Evra cried.

"Yeah, and I'm just a ferret...Ferrets can't do much." said Brendon.

"And what about me? I'm a bat! I'm not like Rouge! I can't even fly!" Cyrus complained.

"Evra, you may not be like Bunnie with robotic parts, but rabbits can defend themselves besides running away. I watched Animal Planet almost all my life, and I saw rabbits fight. They can kick really well with their feet and punch and scratch with their front paws. I'm sure you can do the same thing, but it'll be more powerful. As well as run faster than you could when you were a human. Brendon, a ferret isn't completely usless. Sure it's a pet and a bit of a pest in the human world, but in the anthro world, you can be pretty useful. A ferret, as far as I know, is really sneaky. I bet you would be great as a Freedom Fighter because you'll be able to scout around in an enemy base without being detected, as well as stealing valuable information for us. On top of that, you're smart, so it won't be long before you discover your skills. And Cyrus, you don't have to be like Rouge. I'm not sure what bats can do, but I know most are fast and very agile. You're great in combat too, and now that you're an anthro, I bet you'll find your abilities as well! All of your abilities and hidden powers will come to you naturally, like how mine came to me. Just be patient..."

"I guess you're right..." Cyrus said as his ears perked up a little.

"But what now? What do we do from here? _Where _can we go from here?"

"Maybe we can assist you." Hey...that voice sounded familiar! We all turned around to see six other anthros. One of them was a large green crocodile, the other was a purple chameleon, another was a pinkish-purple echidna wearing a black shirt, another was a young bee hovering next to the crocodile, and the last two were a yellow squrrriel and a black and red armadillo. Brendon, Evra and Cyrus immediately ran behind me once they saw the crocodile.

"Eeek!! Don't eat me!" Evra shrieked as her ears folded back.

"Guys, calm down! I know this group! It's the Chaotix!" I explained while trying to get Evra's new claws off of my fur and flesh. Who knew bunnies had such sharp claws?

"Chaotix Dectective Agency, at your service, Your Highness!" the armadillo said bowing.

"Y-you know these guys, Dawn?" Cyrus asked.

"Yeah! Their in the Sonic comics and games! They're good guys and detectives!" I said. I heard my friends let out small sighs of relief and they reemerged from behind me.

"Oh...sorry 'bout freaking out on you guys..." Brendon said, scratching the back of his head a little.

"Don't worry about it! One look at Vector and anyone would run away scared!" the echidna said laughing.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" the crocodile growled.

"How about we introduce ourselves for the time being?" the chameleon asked.

"Right-o! I'm Vector the Crocodile! Head detective of the Chaotix!" Vector said proudly as he placed his fists on his hips and raised his chin.

"I'm Espio the Chameleon." said Espio.

"I'm Charmy Bee!" Charmy said happily as he twirled in the air a bit.

"Mighty the Armadillo! Nice to meet ya!" Mighty said giving us a thumbs up.

"I'm Julie-Su!" said Julie-Su.

"A-and I'm R-Ray the S-squirrel!" said Ray.

"M-my name is Brendon." Brendon said shyly.

"I'm Evra!" Evra squealed.

"And I'm Cyrus. Nice to meet ya!" said Cyrus.

"How'd you guys find us?" I asked.

"Your father instructed us to find you. He was very worried about your safety." Espio explained.

"How's Sonic?? Is he ok??" I asked frantically.

"Your dad's fine," Vector said "but it was a war down there! We could hardly hear him over the communicator!" Vector explained.

"I still can't believe Dr. Finitevus did this..." Julie-Su said quietly.

"It's my fault...I couldn't stop him...he started with my friends before he went on the the rest of the planet..." I sad sadly as my ears folded back again.

"Don't say that! You tried your best, and you stood up against him and Scourge's gang by yourself! That's something you should be proud of!" said Mighty.

"Gee, where have I heard that before?"

"Hey, don't we have a job to do? There's no doubt G.U.N knows what's going on, and they'll come looking for us." Espio said stepping foward.

"G.U.N? You mean those government idiots?" Cyrus asked.

"Yup. And I bet they're reeeeeally mad right now!" said Charmy.

"What do we do?" Evra asked.

"There isn't much we can really do. All we can do is go into the city areas and such and check on how the inhabitants are faring. The uproar from earlier seems to have calmed down dramatically over the last hour or so..." said Julie-Su.

"I can Chaos Control us there since it'll be faster," I said "or should we walk?"

"We have a lot of ground to cover. So it'll be best if you teleported us there." said Mighty. I nodded before I pulled out my blue Chaos Emerald out of my quills. After yelling "Chaos Control!" again, we all disappeared in a flash and reappeared in the park near the fair grounds. Since it was the last place we were and where most of the people were, it'd be best to start here.

We all started to walk, and as I looked around, I was shocked. Everyone were anthros! There were hedgehogs, cats, skunks, echidnas, foxes, rabbits, squirrels and other animals walking, sitting or whatever. Most of them were sitting on the ground on towels or picnic cloths, looking very confused and overwhelmed with what just happened. Others were standing around on cell phones, checking on friends and family. I heard some children crying in the distance, and the whole place was very quiet. I was a bit surprised by something else though: as we walked, _no one _stared or looked at us! They ignored us as we walked by as if we were regular humans or something! I thought that was a bit strange.

"Well, it's obvious we were too late..." Mighty said quietly.

"Why isn't anyone reacting to this like earlier? Haven't they looked at themselves in the mirror?" I asked out loud.

"Maybe they did see themselves and came to terms with it?" Brendon wondered.

"Who knows? Let's keep going..." said Vector. We kept walking, and things didn't get as bad as it seems. Sure the place was a mess with papers, tables and other objects lying around and scattered everywhere, but everyone was calm. We were able to walk out of the park and was now on our way towards the city and housing areas in a couple of minutes. I noticed that a lot of the inhabitants were out of their cars and wandering around. Most of them walked up to each other and began talking, while others were making their way home since they were exhausted. Some of them gave us some looks, but they weren't looking at the whole group; they were looking at me. Why just me? I'll never figure these people--er--anthros out. It was only a few more minutes into our walk when a pink skunk with short black hair approached us. She had a little toddler behind her who was holding her hand. The little guy looked like he could be at least three years old.

"Princess Dawn? Is that you?" the skunk asked as she walked up to us.

"Uh...yeah...that's me..." I said. _How does she know I'm a princess? _Hell, how does she even know who I am??

"It's so nice to see you," she said "I would've expect you to be with your father on a mission, but I'm guessing he sent you on one alone?"

"W-well, half of it is that he doesn't want me to assist him on his current mission. Right now, I'm just...er...making sure everything's ok..." I replied.

"Ah, so that's why you're with the Chaotix? Good for you! That's just like Sonic...he cares for you so much. Well, I won't hold you up any longer. I just wanted to say hello. Tell your father I send my greetings, ok?" the skunk said before she shook my hand. She then walked away with her child right behind her.

"Bye-bye!!" the toddler yelled as he waved at me. I couldn't help but to smile. He was a cute little thing.

"Super weird..." Cyrus commented out loud.

"Yeah, how did they know who you are? They don't even know you or the Sonic characters!" said Evra.

"Sonic _was _right..." Vector said quietly.

"Sonic was right about what?" I asked.

"Dawn...I don't know how to say this...but, your dad knew what was about to happen to Earth..."

"What do you mean?!" I demanded.

"Calm down, we'll explain everything..." Espio said.

"You see...shortly after your embyro was transferred, an alien race went to Earth, and spread some kind of invisible substance all over the planet. They said that it'll turn every inhabitant into an anthro in a matter of years during a solar eclipse." Vector explained.

"Also, in the gas was some sort of brainwashing chemicals. After everyone transformed, they'll begin to think that they were always anthros." said Julie-Su.

"Dawn, you read all of the comics, correct? So I'm guessing you know of an alien race did the same thing to Mobius millions of years ago." said Mighty.

"Yeah. Those same aliens tried to destroy Mobius, but ended up turning all the inhabitants into an anthropomorphic being," I said "But...when that happen, Mobius was Earth!"

"Exactly. This whole time, Earth was slowly transforming into a new Mobius. However, this planet would be called 'Mobion', an alternative Mobius." Julie-Su explained.

"D-Dr. Finitevus just s-sped up the process. T-this wasn't s-supposed to happen f-for thousands of y-years!" said Ray.

"There was nothing Sonic could do about it, Your Highness. By the time he found out, it was too late." said Espio.

"The process could't be reversed either. It's permanent." said Mighty.

"So, even if we _did _stopped Finitevus," Cyrus said "we'd still be turned into anthros anyway?!"

"I'm afraid so..."

"So that's why everyone is so calm, and how they know Sonic and everyone...they think their Mobians..." I said quietly. For some reason, I started to feel dizzy, as well as drowsy again. My knees gave way, and I collapsed. However, Espio was able to catch me in a nick of time.

"Dawn, are you ok?" Evra asked.

"Y-yeah...just a little...tired...that's all..." I replied, my voice a bit slurred.

"Your exhuasted. You better get some rest." I heard Mighty say. I don't know what happened after that. I blacked out right after Mighty spoke. I must've been _really _tired...Even so, I started to think for a little bit. This was going to be the fate of Earth regardless, whether I stopped Dr. Finitevus or not. Earth is going to be Mobion, and there's no way to stop it. Even the people accepted it! In fact, they all believe they were always Mobians...Still I wasn't really convinced. There were a lot of things I feel still needed to be explained to me. I'll ask Sonic about this when I wake up. That is, **_IF _**I wake up the next day...

* * *

**End Notes: **What can I say? I guess this chapter wasn't delayed after all. But that doesn't mean the others can't be delayed though. I'll try and work on chapter eleven soon, so be patient.

R&R please, but be easy on me.

Thanks for reading! See you later, and God bless! ^^


	12. A Date with Scourge?

**_Chapter Eleven_**

**_Friday_**

**_Unknown Location_**

**_11:09am_**

I don't know how long I've been asleep. But, let me tell you; it was the best sleep I ever got. I was lying on my stomach with my head buried under my pillow and my hands resting next to my head. I really wondered what was going on right now. Ever since the events of last night, I was a bit worried. I still felt like a failure...I could've stopped him! Why didn't I? _It's because you wanted him to turn every human into an anthro..._Sometimes I hate thinking when I slept. But, even so, I pushed those thoughts aside and started thinking about the good things. And trust me, there were a lot of good things I could think of. My dad...my actual _real _dad, was the famous Sonic the Hedgehog! And my mother is Sally Acorn! Not only that, I'm the princess of Mobius and a Freedom Fighter! I met mostly all of the Sonic characters! This was a dream come true!

While I continued to sleep, I heard a door opening and footsteps soon after. Someone came into the room I was in. Soon after, the footsteps stopped, and I felt the side of my bed sink in, and then I felt a hand go onto my back. I don't know why, but my tail began to twitch with satisfaction as soon as the hand began to rub my back a bit. I had to admit, feeling my tail move felt...weird. It's a feeling you can't really explain. Try imagining having an extra appendage on your butt, and then try imagine feeling it twitch or wag. It's not unpleasant or anything, but it's just a feeling you're not really used to. But I could understand why it was twtiching. The rubbing was very soothing. It annoyed me because the blankets that was covering me was moving with my tail.

I heard a soft chuckle before I felt something softly poke at my tail. Whoever was in here must get entertained easily. Feeling the urge to see who was in the room, as well as feeling wide awake, I lifted my head up from under my pillow. I had to squint a little due to a lot of light being in the room. After my eyes adjusted to the light, I took the chance to examine my new surroundings. I was in a bedroom. It looked like I was in a queen sized bed. I was covered with dark blue duvets, and the walls were decorated with white and ble wallpaper with blue roses on the white parts. There was a desk on the other side of the room, a pile of stuffed animals in a corner next to the bed, a closet on the other end of the room to my right side, and there were two dressers in the room. I looked over to see a very familiar blue hedgehog with his hand on my back. He smiled warmly at me before he bent over and gave me a kiss on my forehead.

"Good morning, kiddo." he said quietly.

"Soni--Dad...where am I?" I asked as I sat up in the bed.

"You're in your room." Sonic replied.

"But...this doesn't look like my room."

"I meant this is your _real _room. You're back on Mobius."

"What??" I shot out of bed and ran over to the nearest window. There weren't any curtains blocking it, so looking outside was very easy. When I looked at the world outside, my eyes grew wide. The room was very high off of the ground, at least three stories up. All I could see was a forest. Thick trees were everywhere, but within the trees were houses. The houses were made out of either wood, bricks or sometimes metal. And each of them were connected to a type of spiral stairwell that went around the tree's trunk. I soon found out why. The houses rested in the trees itself! I couldn't believe it, but I knew where I was.

"That's Knothole Village down there, isn't it?" I asked as I turned toward my blue hero.

"Mhmm. And this is the castle, our home." Sonic replied.

"But, why are we here? What about Earth?" I asked.

"Well...honey...there wasn't anything we could do about Earth...It's Mobion now...The affect from Dr. Finitevus' gas, as well as the substance the aliens spread on the planet was too much. There was nothing we could do."

"So there's basically three Mobius's now?"

"Three?"

"Yeah, three. This Mobius, Anti-Mobius and the new Mobion."

"Ah, right."

"So, why are we back here?"

"Well, the...*ahem* 'Mobians' wished to 'remodel' Mobion and rid it of all the sources of human activity, such as the buildings, cars and such. And once they heard of your condition, they requested for us to bring you back here to recover. Of course, I respect the wishes of my people, so I had to go with it."

"So you rebuilt the Star Posts?"

"Yes. We brought everyone back, including your friends. They're moving into Knothole."

"Oh sweet! Can I see them?"

"I don't know hon...You've been asleep for two days."

"Two days?! How..?"

"We don't know. Everyone's been in an uproar." Sonic then walked over to me and held my hand. "How 'bout we go down to the village? Everyone wants to see you." Sounds like a plan. I nodded before Sonic pulled out a Warp Ring out of his pants pocket. You all know the drill here: It grew, we jumped into it and appeared in the village. We were in a small clearing in the middle of the village. Everyone was here, and when I say everyone, I mean _everyone. _Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream and Cheese, Shadow, Rouge, Espio, Charmy, Vector, Mighty, Ray, Julie-Su, Silver, Blaze, Chip, Antoine, Bunnie, Rotor, Mina, Ash, Monkey Khan, Bernadette, Jules, Brendon, Cyrus and Evra. There was one person missing though: Sally Acorn...my own mother...

However, I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt someone give me a rather tight hug. I looked up to see more blue fur with a patch of blonde. Bernadette had rushed over to me and was now giving me a hug. I could understand, really. Bernadette is Sonic's mom, and Jules is his dad. So, this means that these two are my grandparents. Come to think of it, I never met my human grandparents when I was on Earth with my surrogate parents...At least now I'm able to say that I have met my grandmother and grandfather.

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" she beamed.

"Hi grandma." I said, hugging her back. Jeez...why am I taking all of this so well?! I gues I _am _different from any other girl...

"C'mon mom...let her breathe." Sonic said laughing a bit.

"I'm sorry sweetie. But I just wanted to see my granddaughter..." Bernadette said before letting me go and holding my hands. That's when my three best friends walked up to me. They all had very happy expressions on their faces.

"'Bout time you woke up!" said Cyrus.

"Do you know how worried we were?!" Evra exclaimed before she too, gave me a rather tight hug. I'm surprised I haven't died of suffocation yet.

"Oh! I almost forgot: Dad, what happened to you and the others back in the lab?" I asked turning towards Sonic.

"We were able to hold them off. Fortunately, we were able to send Scourge and the Supression Squad back to Anti-Mobius." Sonic explained.

"Finitevus got away though...bastard..." Knuckles growled while gritting his teeth.

"We won't be able to go back to Earth for a while now. The only thing we can do here is wait." Espio said stepping forward.

"Dawn, we must talk A-S-A-P!" Evra squealed before she grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the others, with Brendon and Cyrus close behind me. I turned toward Sonic mouthing the words "help me" to him before turning back around. All Sonic could do was smile and shake his head. Thanks for the help dad...you're a swell guy, you know that? The four of us walked over to a small group of trees. Evra and I sat next to each other under one, Brendon leaned on the tree's trunk next to Evra, and Cyrus stood in front of us with his arms crossed.

"Well, I have some good news!" Evra squealed.

"You found out Mobius has a shopping mall?" I teased.

"Well, that and something even better! Bunnie and Antoine adopted me!!" Evra said beaming.

"That's great Evra!" I exclaimed before hugging my best friend.

"Tails and Rotor said I can be apart of their team. They saw how smart I was, and they thought I'd be a good addition to the Freedom Fighters." Brendon said smiling.

"And Rouge says she's gonna give me flying lessons. After I learn how to fly, Sonic's gonna let me join the team," Cyrus said "He said anyone who's able to stand up to Scourge is a good guy."

"In other words, he said you have a lot of balls." I said laughing a little.

"I won't be joining the team though." Evra suddenly said, her voice calmed a little.

"Why?"

"I just don't think I'm ready. I mean, the only thing I can do is pick out clothes."

"I bet Bunnie'll teach you how to fight and stuff. I hear the Freedom Fighters have a training facility." said Brendon.

"Uh, Brendon? That was my line..." We all laughed for a while before we saw Tails flying over to us. He looked a little worried.

"Hey Tails, something wrong?" I asked standing up.

"We just got a call from NICOLE. She says that Scourge has been seen around Knothole!" he said "There's no doubt that he's after Dawn again."

"GreenBean's at it again, huh?" Cyrus asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Brendon, Rotor and I want you to go with him to HQ. We have a job for you. We'll take you there." . He flew towards a large building soon after. Brendon then kissed Evra on her cheek before standing up.

"You all be safe. I'll try and communicate with you guys later." is what he said before he ran after Tails. Soon after, Bunnie ran up to us and hugged Evra.

"Sugar, we gotta get you outta here! You're not trained to deal with this kind of thing yet!" she exclaimed. Evra turned towards me and gave me a quick hug.

"I'll talk to you later." she said before she got up and followed Bunnie towards the house in the village. I stood up and looked over at Cyrus, who had a somewhat pumped up expression on his face. It was then when Sonic and Shadow ran up to me.

"Dawn, you need to go back to the castle." Sonic said quickly.

"Why?!"

"There's no telling what Scourge will do. He's after you, no doubt. So it'll be best if you're not around." said Shadow.

"But I can defend myself! Sure I screwed up back on Earth, but I can stand up to an anthropomorphic, green, evil womanizing hedgehog!"

"You left out a few adjectives." Knuckles said walking up to us with his arms crossed.

"Like?"

"Demented." said Sonic.

"Psychotic." said Shadow.

"Selfish and greedy." said Knuckles.

"And ugly." Cyrus said grinning. Sonic then knelt down to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. He looked me dead in the eye with a worried, but stern look on his face. _Hey, wait a minute...was I always this short?_

"Sweetie, I know you don't like it, but your protection comes first," he said "Shadow will take you and Cyrus back to the castle, and I want you both to stay in your room. Do not come out until I say so, understood?" Sonic then placed a black and dark blue watch around my wrist. I could easily tell that it was a communicator. He also gave one to Cyrus, but his was red and black. I pouted a bit, but I knew the puppy dog eyes wouldn't get me out of this one. I really and truely hated feeling like a helpless damsel in distress. I'm not Amy or Princess Peach. Sonic the gave me another kiss to my forehead before he ran off, leaving his trademark blue streak behind him. It was then when Shadow Chaos Controlled me and Cyrus back into the castle, expecting the worse to come.

* * *

**_Inside Knothole Castle_**

**_1:34pm_**

It's been at least two hours ever since Sonic forced Cyrus and I to stay put in the castle while he and everyone else went on a mission to deal with Scourge. Cyrus and I were basically prisoners in my own room. Shadow took the precautions and locked it from the inside and outside. There wasn't much we could do. I never knew Sonic was such a protective father. It kind of irritated me. I wanted to be a part of the mission too, y'know. I didn't want to be an extra weight. I _KNOW _I could help the team out!

Cyrus was sitting in my desk chair while I sat on my bed. He wanted to explore the rest of the castle, so did I, but orders were orders. We couldn't leave under any circumstances. But, even if we wanted to, we couldn't. I could've unlocked the door from where I am now, but we'd still be locked in. Shadow said that there were special locks installed on the other side of the door. This way, no one could get in, or out. I really hate Scourge now. I mean, I know he's a villain and all, but in the comics, they made him so badass to where you hate him so much that you love him. That's where I was back on Earth. Now, I hate so much to where...I just hate him.

"So...What does this guy want with you again?" Cyrus asked, breaking the silence.

"I really don't know. He says that he loves me and wants me to be his queen, but then I'm also told that he just wants to use me to rule the Multiverse. Whatever he wants, I wished I wasn't a part of it." I replied.

"But I thought you said he had a girlfriend in the comics? What was her name...Fiona Fox?"

"I asked him the same thing! But then he did something disturbing..."

"Like what?"

"Well...he acted like she didn't even exist. And the expression on his face...it was so...EVIL!"

"...You said this dude killed his own dad, right?"

"Yeah?"

"You said he's really heartless, killed anybody no matter who or what they were?"

"Uh-huh?"

"...I'm starting to think Greenie killed her."

"WHAAAT?! But that's not possible! She was in the other issues! And if she did die, then the comics would've showed it!"

"But Sonic also said that the comics leave out a lot of stuff due to them being the Earth versions. Like when they were at war with Dr. Eggman, they never showed bloodshed or anything like that. So it's possible that Scourge DID kill his girlfriend, but they never showed it in an issue of the comics." You know, when he put it like that, he had a point. The comics and games left out a lot of stuff than what really happened. So, if Scourge really did kill Fiona, then the creators of the comics wouldn't even show it and brought her back every time, since they believe that they're just fictional characters. I don't know why, but fear was beginning to grow inside my body.

I picked up a little dragon plus that was in the pile of stuffed animals and began to fiddle with it a bit. I was a bit disturbed right now. I mean, I _knew _Scourge was heartless and all, but jeez...Good thing the ScourgeXFiona fans back on Earth didn't hear about this. But, then again, it's probably now true. Besides, Cyrus said that he MIGHT have killed Fiona. He was just stating a theory, nothing more. Cyrus and I said nothing else for the time being. He started pacing around the room while I tried to think of something positive and not focus of having the possiblity of a homicidal hedgehog. Then again, Scourge was always homicidal, wasn't he? A few moments later, I saw Cyrus' rather large batty ears twitch a bit. It looked as if they were picking up sounds, but I didn't think much of it. But that wasn when I saw Cyrus' body tense up as he turned toward the door.

"...Do you hear that?" he asked quickly.

"Hear what?" I asked.

"Sounds like someone's in the castle, dudette..." Cyrus said quietly. I froze. _Please don't let it be the Green Goblin..._I listened very closely to the silene outside the door. It was a few minutes later when I started to hear something like shuffling coming from the other side. Oh no...why now, God?? Cyrus slowly began to walk over to the door, his ears moving a little like radars. I got up too, but I moved faster than him as I approached the door. I placed my ear on the door and listened to what ever was on the other side. Silence; that is, until I heard something like a door slamming shut. Short time later, I heard mumbles from the other side.

"We searched this whole place. They're not here." someone said with frustration in their voice.

"Don't give up just yet. There's one more room we haven't checked yet." I heard another say. Yup, I knew it. I know that voice anywhere.

"Well?" Cyrus whispered.

"It's them!" I whispered back. Cyrus' ears drooped a bit as he backed away from the door. I lingered there with my ear still glued to the wooden door, that is, until I started to hear someone messing with the locks outside. Feeling my heart beat increase, I quickly backed away from the door. Moments later, the fiddling of the locks stopped, but then the door moved back and forth as the intruders tried to open the door. Yay for inside locks. I just expected to hear one of them groan in frustration or something, but I was wrong. The door stopped moving, and it grew silent again. I looked over at Cyrus and shurgged. They gave up right? Wrong. Almost a second later, a flash of light appeared in my room, and a figure then appeared. Scourge had his arms crossed as he glared at me through his red sunglasses. His grin widened as he looked at me.

"Well, hello there." he said slowly.

"I knew you'd come here..." I growled while I balled my hands into fists.

"Then if you knew, why didn't ya come out? Findin' ya would've been a lot easier!" he said grinning.

"GET OUT!!"

"Fine. But you're comin' with me."

"Not a chance!" Scourge lunged at me, but by then, Cyrus had charged and tried to hit Scourge again. He must've known this was going to happen since Scourge jumped over him and kicked him in the back, sending Cyrus flying into a wall. It looked like the blow left him stunned, since he looked unable to move. He let out a small groan though, letting me know he was obviously alive. I was about to run over to my fallen friend to see if he was ok, but GreenBean had other plans. He got in front of me, blocking the way. He then pulled out his switchblade from his jacket pocket as he backed away towards Cyrus.

"Y'know, I always thought that a bat that couldn't fly was useles. Maybe it doesn't even deserve its wings." Scourge said wickedly as he turned toward Cyrus.

"Leave him alone!! Your troubles are with me, and me alone!" I yelled.

"Oh stop it. Look, you're cute, but I gotta do what I gotta do." _Nononono...Dawn, stop him!! _How? What stops Scourge? Oh...only one thing does in my book. Oh boy...I'm going to hate myself after this is all over. But, I **_had_** to protect my friend. Cyrus put his life on the line to protect me, now I have to return the favor. I ran in front of Scourge and placed my hands on both of his shoulders, pushing him back a little. He looked at me a bit surprised by what I was doing. _What the hell am I doing?! He could stab me at any minute!_

"What're you doing?" he asked. _Beating you at your own game, that's what._

"Look, babe, just leave him alone, please?" I asked, giving him the famous puppy dog eyes as well. His ears perked up as well as his demeanor when he heard me call him "babe". My ears folded back a bit after I _really _realized what I just done. Too late to turn back now...

"Give me a reason why I should." he said. His voice even calmed, and his tone was lower.

"Well, if you do then...we can make up for that date we missed out on back on Earth." _The hell am I saying?!_

"And why do you want to come with me now all of a sudden?" Uh oh...red flag right there. I think he knows what I'm trying to do here. I guess it's time to pull out the ol' fangirl part of me and use it, though I didn't want to.

"Well, I'm embarrassed to say it but...I always thought you were so badass. You were one of my favorite characters in the comics. That's one of the reasons why I fought and ran away from you...I...just like you a lot. I was bein' shy, that's all. I mean, you're just gorgeous." _Someone please kill me..._I could tell Scourge was very interested in what I was saying. He relaxed, his ears were perked up, and he put his switchblade away.

"Go on." he said.

"I'm into bad boys a little. You're just so evil to where people hate you so much to where they gotta love ya. Apparently, that's how I feel. In fact, honestly, I was always jealous of Fiona...She was so lucky to have you as a...*ahem* boyfriend." _I'm going to regret this for the rest of my life, aren't I?_

"Well, you don't have to worry 'bout her anymore." Scourge then wrapped his arm around my waist and brought me closer to his body. It was then when I realized he was taller than me. I hate being short..._Stay above the waist, please..._"So, what else about me do you like?"

"No, I don't wanna say anymore..." I said, trying to push him away a little so I won't be so close to his face, or body for that matter.

"C'mon, quit bein' shy! We'll talk in private, how 'bout that?"

"Er...mind if I ask where we're going?"

"No where. We're staying here on Mobius." _Don't lie to me..._

"Well...ok. Just, do me a quick favor?"

"What is it?"

"Mind telling your gang to...I dunno, back down? Plus, I gotta take care of my friend..."

"Sure. I'll be waiting outside." Scourge gave me a quick wink before he walked over to the door, unlocked it and walked outside. Soon after, I rushed over to Cyrus, who was wide awake. I could tell he had been listen to the conversation.

"What are you doing?!" he whispered.

"Look, I was beating him at his own game by flirting. Sure I respected him as a character on Earth, but that's changed now!" I whispered back.

"That doesn't mean you should go with the guy!"

"Cyrus, listen to me, I'm not going with him, ok? I just told him something so I could protect you! He was going to kill you if I hadn't stepped in!"

"Dawn, I don't trust this..."

"Cyrus, look...When we leave, contact Sonic as soon as possible and tell him what happened. If he asks you where I am, tell him you don't know at the moment because you don't know how to activate the tracker on your communicator."

"How do you know there's trackers on these things?"

"I've been a Sonic fan all my life, Cyrus. I know there's a tracker on there."

"...Are you _sure _you want to go through this?"

"Think of it as me paying you back after you saved me from GreenBean the last time. This time, I saved you." Cyrus gave me a small smile. He knew that I was just trying to protect him from Scourge the best way I could. I didn't like this either, but I didn't know what else to do. I hugged my best friend before rushing out of the room and closing the door behind me. I soon saw Scourge leaning on a rail to a stairwell just a few feet away. When he saw me, he grinned and walked up to me.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah." I replied. He grinned again before wrapping his arm around my waist again. We both then began to walk down the stairs. With each step, my fear grew bigger and bigger. _I really hope I didn't make a bad decision here...but then again, when HAVEN'T I made a bad decision? _It's offical: I'm an idiot. I just hope my idiocy doesn't get me killed...

* * *

**End Notes: **The more reviews, the better in my opinion. I hope this chapter's good ^^

R&R please, but be easy on me.

God bless, and see you all next chapter!! :D


	13. A Scourge and a Spell

**_Chapter Twelve_**

**_Friday_**

**_Carnival Night Zone_**

**_3:27pm_**

_I hate you Scourge...I hate you, I hate your guts, I hate your mother, I hate your father, I hate your grandfather, and I hate your dog!...Does Scourge even have a dog? Speaking of dogs, I'm gonna ask Sonic if I could have a dog for my birthday...or maybe a cat. I hope Blaze won't get offended...Nah, I want a dog. A puppy! Puppies are adorable...in fact, Brendon had a--oh God..._I had to mentally slap myself at least five times during this entire "date". Want to know why? Well, first off, I'm hyper as a mother fucker right now. How? Well...Scourge found out my weakness: Sweets. God I love sweets...cookies especially. But sugar is my all time favorite. I'm like Sonic to chilidogs when it comes to sugar cookies.

Please...don't ask **_HOW _**he was able to convince me to eat them...He must've had them laced. Ok, we were at the casino area of Mobius, he bought me a soda, and then he happened to see me eyeing a case of sugar cookies, and he bought them for me! I was hungry, I couldn't help it! Oooh and they were fresh...right out of the oven! Wow...I'm pathetic, aren't I? Want to know the sad thing? **_I was eating one as we walked..._**Sonic, where the HELL are you when I need you...? I don't know what's worse...Going on a sugar rush after eating a whole box of cookies and two sodas, or going on a sugar rush while with SCOURGE. Well, there are two good things out of this: The lights here are very pretty, and Scourge wasn't drinking. At least he's not drunk, or else things would be a _LOT_worse.

Scourge STILL had his arm around my waist as we continued to walk down Mobius' version of the Las Vegas streets. He was drinking a bottle of coca-cola as we walked. Once again, at least it wasn't a bottle of vodka or _Captain Morgan._ And why was my tail keep twitching?! I guess all that sugar must've affected it...

"Enjoying the date, babe?" Scourge asking, pulling me closer to him.

"I would if you hadn't fed me six-hundred pounds of sugar." I said, stuffing another sugar cookie into my mouth.

"You really love cookies, huh?"

"I just love sweets in general. But yeah, cookies are my favorite..." I heard Scourge chuckle a little as we continued to walk. He looked very interested in me for some reason...But then again, he's always interested in any girl he sees. It was a few moments later when the both of us walked past a club where a line of young teenagers like ourselves were making their way into the club. The sound of music blasted out of the building and into the streets.

"Hey, wanna go in there?" Scourge asked pointing his thumb at the brick building. "It says couples go in for free." _Of course..._

"Nah. Clubs aren't my thing." I replied walking still.

"What'cha wanna do then?" _I wanna go home and pretend you never existed..._

"I...really dunno..." It was then when I felt Scourge's hand go against the back of my knees, and he picked me up bridal-style. This startled me, of course, and I let out a small yelp and wrapped my arms around Scourge's neck instinctively. _This is worse than having your period...What is he doing now?! _Scourge then ran off at full speed to somewhere. The only thing I was able to see where the neon lights going past us at the speed of light. It was about forty or so seconds when we finally stopped in front of rail looking over a lake.

It was beautiful...the sun's reflection on the water, the silhouettes of the boats out on the water, and the soothing sound of the waves hitting the rocks below us...It was amazing. Mobius was a lot prettier than Earth. It had more nature in it than any other place I know of. My tail wagged with happiness as I continued to gaze out at the pretty sight. I was only to do this only one time back on Earth...This place would be even better if we came here during a sunset. That'd be _so _romantic...

...Romantic? Of course...no wonder Scourge brought me here! The dirty little green, romantic, womanizing, psychotic, demented, homicial bastard-hog! It was then when I saw Scourge walk up to the rail out of the corner of my eye.

"Like it?" he asked.

"It's...it's beautiful." I replied. _Dawn, you are a complete moron...and where the hell are my cookies?!_

"I knew you'd like it. This is the best place for a romantic evening."

"I can see why." _Dammit...Did I drop them by accident when Scourge picked me up and ran off?_

"Your eyes look so gorgeous...With the sunlight hitting them, they sparkle like an Anarchy Beryl or a Chaos Emerald."

"Nice choice of words, but you'll need a lot more than flattery to win my heart." _Well, that's seven Rings wasted..._

"Really now? Heh, well then..." In a swift movement, Scourge wrapped both of his arms around my waist and pulled me close to his body, _AGAIN. _This time, however, he pulled me close enough to him to where our noses were almost touching. As this was going on, I noticed something...After being a Sonic fan ever since I learned how to walk, there are some things you start to notice about the characters...First off, basically all of the Sonic characters are at least 3 ft. tall. Sonic and Scourge and most of the males are at least 4 to 5 ft. tall now...So that makes me at least 3 to 4 ft. tall now. And when did they get this tall?!

Another thing is, if Sonic's my dad and Scourge is Sonic's evil self from an alternitve demension, shouldn't they be around the same age? I mean, Sonic looks as if he's nineteen to twenty. Scourge should be around that same age, right? And if he's nineteen to twenty, he's basically a grown man--er--hedgehog. So, if he's dating a fifteen going on sixteen year old girl, isn't that rape?! But, then again...Scourge looks younger than Sonic. He looks...I'll say, seventeen going on eighteen. This is so confusing...Maybe the aging is different on Mobius and on anthros than on Earth and on humans, who knows?

"What does it take to win your heart, Dawn?" he asked, his voice tone was a bit low, and he talked slowly. Don't embarrass yourself Scourge...stop trying to make yourself sound sexy...Even if you already accomplished that. I hate the fangirl part of me sometimes...But man! They had the womanizing part of this guy dead-on! I'm telling you, if you girls heard him right now, you'd faint. Dead serious.

"I'm not telling you. But it's gonna take a lot more than what you're doing now." I replied back, trying to match my voice tone with Scourge's. _His hands, are so damn close to my ass right now...Hold on, were they always that close? _"Besides, what is it that attracts you to me so much?"

"You're different." Scourge smiled at me before he leaned towards my face and began to nuzzle my cheek. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is he showing affection?! This is...unlike Scourge...I'm a bit scared honestly. Well, at least I found out that anthropomorphic hedgehogs have wet noses...In fact, his nuzzling tickled a bit.

"Are you always this affectionate?" I asked, trying to get rid of the awkward feeling growing in my gut, as well as pushing GreenBean away from me a little.

"Weeell...kinda. I just like ya a lot, Cookie." Scourge replied, his hold on me increasing a little. _Hold on...did he just call me "Cookie"?!_

"'Cookie'?"

"Yeah. I think it's a good nickname for ya. I mean, you love sugar cookies, sugar is white and sweet...Your fur is white, and you're so sweet...You're a Cookie." _Wow..._It was then when I notcied something moving behind a nearby tree a couple of feet away from us. I saw a blue figure stick his head from behind the tree's trunk a few seconds later. _Daddy!! You Came!! Thank God!! _Oh how I wanted to run to my blue hero and hide behind his back so he could kick Scourge's green ass. But then, I noticed something was wrong with him...He had a hurt expression on his face. Why? What was wrong? That's when it hit me: Scourge was still holding onto me, with his arms wrapped around my waist, and our bodies close together. _SHIT!! _

_It's not what it looks like Sonic..._I had to tell him what was going on, but how? If I called him, Scourge'll see Sonic, and my plan will completely backfire! There has to be some way where I could talk to him without Scourge hearing or seeing us talking..._"You and your father share a very, very special and close bond. Your spirits are in sync. You each can feel what the other's feeling, and you both can hear the other's innermost thoughts. There is even a chance that you two can channel your power through each other. Even when you two are separated, you'll still be connected with one another..." _I never thought I'd see the day where I wanted to give Dr. Finitevus a hug...Why hadn't I thought of it before?!

I could just tell Sonic what's going on through our Chaos Emeralds! I remember when I found out Sonic was my real dad that day...I could see him in the other room though I was far away from me, and he could hear me through the emerald. If I can just channel my thoughts like I did that time, then I should be able to communicate with Sonic. My blue Chaos Emerald was safely tucked away in my quills, and I'm sure Sonic had with white one with him. Well, it's now or never...I hope this works...

_"Sonic...can you hear me?" _I looked over at Sonic, and I saw that his ears perked up. He heard me!

_"Dawn, sweetie, is that you?" _I heard him ask in ym mind.

_"Yeah! I'm using the emerald to talk to you. Look, I'm guessing Cyrus told you what was going on, right?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Listen, I'm sorry, ok? I didn't know what else to do! I had to protect my friend! You'd do the same thing if you were in my shoes! It's just a setup. Do you really think I'd actually go on a date with this guy?"_

_"I understand dearly. But, I do not like the fact that you put yourself in danger to protects others! You could get yourself killed!"_

_"And how many times have you put yourself in danger to protect your friends? They basically told you the same thing."_

_"...Point taken."_

_"Look, just let me take it from here, ok?"_

_"Fine. But you and me are going to have a talk when you get back."_

_"I'm grounded, huh?"_

_"For a week." _That's my dad alright. I saw Sonic sped off somewhere, leaving his blue streak behind him. I don't know HOW, but during my conversation with Sonic, I was somehow able to distract Scourge! I didn't even know what I was saying, or what he was saying. It's like I have two separate minds or something. Scourge's hold on me losened over that little time period as well. Instead, only one of his arms were around my waist, and we were both leaning on the rail. _What were we talking about that whole time? _I probably wouldn't find out...

"So, let me ask ya something," he asked "If I asked you to marry me right now, what would your answer be?"

"That's an automatic 'no'." I replied quickly.

"Why?"

"First off, I'm not licensed to get married. Secondly, I'm too young, and lastly, I don't marry someone on the first date."

"Technically, this is our second date, but I understand. But let me ask ya something else: Do you kiss on the first date?"

"Nope. Better luck next time, buddy."

"Oh, I get it."

"Get what?"

"You're bein' shy again, aren't ya?"

"No, I just don't kiss on the first date." _Hey, if I can use Chaos Powers like everyone said, why won't I just Chaos Spear his ass?_

"Hey Dawn...I got a surprise for ya." Scourge said as he stood up straight and moved closer to me. _That doesn't sound good..._

"Oh yeah? What--" I was unable to finish my sentence as Scourge suddenly grabbed my arms and pulled me close to his body. This time, unfortunately, he was able to pull me close enough where he could lean towards my face. And...well...he kissed me...I tried to get away from him but he had a strong grip on me! Why the hell didn't I just Chaos Control away, you ask? Simple: The fangirl part of me kept me in place and prevented me from doing anything. I hate my fangirl side...I'm going to get slapped for this, but he was a good kisser...soft lips too. But you know what was the really difficult part? Trying to stop myself from gagging.

I was able to struggle enough for Scourge to finally release me from his grip. Once my hands were free, I almost immediately slapped him across his face. I must've hit him pretty hard since there was a small red mark left on his cheek after I slapped him.

"I thought I told you that I didn't kiss on the first date!" I exclaimed.

"I couldn't control myself..." Scourge said as he rubbed his somewhat bruised cheek. Surprisingly, he didn't get mad at all! I just knew he was going to slap me back, but he didn't! In fact, he seemed too calm about it...almost as if he knew I was going to slap him. "But I was right about it."

"You were right about what?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"'Bout your nickname, Cookie. Your lips tasted so sweet like sugar..." _Scourge you big perv..._

"Oh knock it off. I told you that your sweet talk won't work on me." I turned away from GreenBean and started to walk away. I didn't know where I could go, so I just starting walking along the rail. I heard Scourge behind me, and then I saw his shiny black leather jacket out of the corner of my eye a few moments later. He's like a little green leech, isn't he? I kept walking without saying anything. I was thinking about how I was going to get away from Scourge, and where Sonic sped off to. Knowing the energetic blue hedgie, he could be going anywhere.

"Cookie..." I heard Scourge call. _Dammit, stop calling me that!_

"What now?" I turned to see Scourge holding a bouquet of roses, and he were extending them towards me a little. The sweet smell of the roses rushed into my nose. Not only that, but the thorny flowers were in full bloom, making them beautiful. Being a sucker for these flowers, I took them, still overwhelmed by their beauty. _Where'd he get these things anyway? _It was then when I saw a rose bush some feet away from us. The bush was surrounded by some small trees. _I answered my own question...yay me._

"If only they were white or blue, then they would've matched you perfectly. But, the red ones compliment you too." Scourge said smiling.

"You just won't give up, will you?"

"Nope." _Oookay. I've been here for long enough. _I pulled out my blue Chaos Emerald out of my quills and back away from GreenBean.

"Look, it was fun, but I gotta juice. I've been out here for long enough." I said. _Classic Sonic the Hedgehog reference for the win!_

"Can I least get a goodbye kiss before ya leave?" Scourge asked.

"The kiss from earlier IS your goodbye kiss."

"C'mon baby...not even a little peck on the cheek?

"Bye Scourge." I then disappeared and reappaeared back in my room in a flash of light. Cyrus was gone, and the whole place was empty. I still had to roses in my hand. I really loved roses...I inhaled some more of their scent before I placed them in a vase that was conveniently in my room. After I placed the flowers in the vase, I threw myself onto my bed face first. I could still smell the roses in my nose for some reason...They smelled so...nice. I couldn't even describe the smell. The scent also made me feel relaxed, and a bit...happy. Oh God...Scourge put drugs in the roses. Now I'm gonna get high off of them...The hell? I guess the sugar rush hasn't worn off yet.

I don't know why, but I was really tired for some reason...I quick nap wouldn't hurt, right? I placed my head on my pillow and soon drifted off to a dreamless sleep. That "date" with Scourge went rather well than what I was expecting to happen. However, I didn't expect the events to come back and bite me on my furry ass. Remember when I said I hope I didn't pay for my idiocy? Well...my worst fear was going to become a reality in just a matter of hours. Oh, and those "drugs" in the roses? It wasn't any drugs in them...instead, they were laced with some sort of spell that I'll soon fall under...

* * *

**_Friday_**

**_Knothole Village Castle_**

**_5:04pm_**

I kept hearing a voice in my head as I slept. It sounded like Sonic's voice, but it was different...It sounded familiar too, but I couldn't really place my finger on who's voice it was. It was really irritating me...Whoever it was kept telling me to get up and go somewhere. I'm not going to do that. I mean, I would've got up on my own since my nap was over and all, but, as Dr. Finitevus said, I'm rebellious. So I wasn't going to do whatever this voice told me to do, even if it was doing half of it. However, as time went on, the more I started to feel strange. My body felt...numb. I tried to move, but I couldn't. Something was wrong...

_"Dawn...come to me..."_

I suddenly opened my eyes and sat up in my bed. One problem though: I wasn't moving! Someone else was making my body move! And I have a hunch that it was the person who was talking to me in my head. "I" looked around my room a bit before I pulled out my Chaos Emerald from my quills. _The hell's going on?! I can't control my body anymore! _I wanted to call someone for help, but I couldn't move my mouth. All I could do is sit there in the back of my mind as I watched my body do what ever it pleased. "I" stood up, still holding my Chaos Emerald before I disappeared and reappeared outside.

It looked like I was in the back of the castle somewhere, away from the village and at the start of a forest. I just stood there, scanning the area as if I was looking for something...but what? That's when I saw a figure leaning against a tree with its arms crossed. I couldn't see its face, but I could tell it was another hedgehog...with icy blue eyes..._Oh for the love of God...No, please..._It's not even dark outside! How could I not recognize him!

"Come here..." he said. Almost immediately, my body began to walk over to the figure as if it was obeying it. It was then when the figure stepped out into the sunlight. Sure enough, it was GreenBean himself. He held out his arm as "I" continued to walk up to him. When I was close enough, he wrapped his arm around my waist, but he didn't bring our bodies together this time, surprisingly. He kissed my cheek softly as he moved into the forest a little. _I knew I was going to regret my decision...Why didn't I just kick his ass?!_

"Time to go, babe. We have plans." Scourge said before he Chaos Controlled us to an entirely different place. This place looked like a medieval castle of some sort. Lit torches were the only source of light in here. It was dark and cloudy outside...it almost looked like it was going to rain. But, after reading the comics for so long, I soon realize where I was...I was on Moebius, and inside its version of the castle back in Knothole Village. It looked like we were in the throne room...

Scourge still had his arm wrapped around my waist as we walked over to a spiraling staircase that led to a lower level of the castle. _What was going on?! Why can't I move myself?! _It was a few moments later when we reached the bottom of the staircase. We were in some sort of chamber...We walked deeper into the chamber, and it only got darker. The torches down here were further apart than from the ones that were on the upper level. However, my heart nearly stopped when I saw a very familiar white echidna wearing a black cape waiting for us just in the middle of the chamber...

Dr. Finitevus watched and waited as Scourge and I approached him. When he saw me, however, that same evil and wicked grin went across his face...

"It looks like the spell worked perfectly." he said. _A spell?!_

"Yup. The kiss didn't work, so I had to use a substitute." Scourge commented. _The roses!_

"I still don't understand why you went to that old fool to make him do a spell. I could've put a hex on her with no problem."

"Yeah, but remember the last time you used a hex? I mean, look what ya did to ol' Knucklehead. I'm guessing that if you did that to Dawn, it would've been a lot worse." _They were planning this the whole time?! _"Besides, it worked out better this way."

"Suit yourself..."

"So, what're we going to do with Mobion?"

"What I should've done at the start."

"Which would be..?"

"Simple: Destroying the entire planet." _WHAAAAAAAT?!_

"But why do you want to destroy Mobion? I mean, didn't you already accomplish your goal with the planet? I thought you just wanted to turn every human into our own kind?" _My thoughts exactly Scourge!...And you said something smart, for once..._

"I only did that to try to spare the princess. She _did _grow up on that pathetic planet after all...However, once I saw that we didn't see eye to eye, I decided to go back to my original plan."

"But she could've stopped you easily, Doc! Something stopped her! I think she wanted the humans to turn into anthros too." _The second time Scourge actually said something smart...You just broke your old record, buddy! Good for you!_

"If that were true, than she should've stayed in the cell."

"But you also gotta think 'bout this: She's Blue's daughter. It's in her blood." _When the hell did Scourge get so damn smart?!_

"It doesn't matter. The only thing I'm concerned about is getting rid of that planet. And Her Highness, is going to help me with that." _No...I wouldn't!!...Oh wait, I'm under a spell...DAMMIT!!_

"Let me guess: You're gonna try and gather the Chaos Energy in her body and use it to destroy the planet?"

"Exactly."

"...Eh, sounds like a plan. I don't care, really. Earth was a place that shouldn't have existed in my opinion."

"Scourge, where have you been this whole time? We practically agree on the same things now!"

"Let's just say I've been doin' a lot of thinkin' and we'll leave it at that...Well, I'm gonna leave ya alone for a while. I just came down here to show ya I got the princess."

"Very well. Do as you please. But I will call on you when I need her."

"Oh, and Doc...just so we're clear here: Do **_NOT _**kill her, understand?"

"As you wish..." Scourge then grabbed my arm and began to pull me away from Dr. Finitevus. I didn't care where we were going now, all I know is that I had to contact Sonic and let him know what was going on!! I can't let them destroy Earth--er--Mobion!! I may be under their spell, but I still had my mind! This is no longer my problem anymore. Well, it wasn't my problem from the beginning, but still. I was going to need everyone's help for this...

_"Sonic!! Sonic please!! Can you hear me?! If you can, I have to tell you: Scourge and Dr. Finitevus are planning on destroying Mobion!! I'm on Moebius in the castle!! Please hurry!!" _God I sound like a damsel in distress...I hate myself...

* * *

**End Notes: **Reveiws please! All people who reveiw get free cookies! But keep them away from Dawn...she'll murder you for those things...

Next chapter will be up soon; I just hope it won't be delayed...

By the way, when you reveiw, please be nice and mature...Not asking for too much.

God bless, and see ya later! :D


	14. Is it Love?

**_Chapter Thirteen_**

**_Friday_**

**_Moebius: Acorn Castle_**

**_6:39pm_**

"Dawn, c'mon...what're you so scared of?"

"I--er--I don't wanna get married!!" I was finally able to break out of Scourge's little spell and I was able to run away from him. I should probably explain how I was able to break the spell and get away from Scourge. And how I was able to do that so quickly? Simple: As soon as Scourge said "While the Doc is makin' his plans, _we _should make _our _plans to go down the aisle...", I regained my own free wil. All in all, I used my own free will to break the spell because there was no way in **_Hell _**I was marrying Scourge! Here's the funny thing though: Remember when Scourge seemed so smart earlier? Well...he still thinks I'm under the spell! He thinks it's a side affect! Hmm...but then...Oh man...There's a saying I used to always hear back on Earth: "When you're in love, the only thing you see is the person you wish to be yours, and not the things around you"...Please don't let this mean that Scourge is _actually _in love with me!

I was hiding behind the throne in the throne room. Scourge was just a few feet away, but making his way slowly towards me. Now, I _would _Chaos Control away, but I couldn't. I tried, and for some reason, I couldn't leave. There must be some sort of negative energy in the air that's preventing the Chaos Emerald from assisting me. I would try a few more times, but running away from Scourge while you're full of fear AND trying to convince him that you're still under a spell...Multitasking is not a easy. Scourge was practically in front of the throne now. His hands were in his jacket pockets again. Screw this; I'm going to be like Sonic on this one. In other words, I'm running.

Seeing an opening, I ran from behind the throne and ran as fast I could. I never thought I'd inherit Sonic's speed. It was so amazing! The feeling of the wind pressing against my body, but it felt even better when I felt the wind through my quills. And I felt great! I felt like no one could catch me! I mean, the only thing I could see as I ran was a blur of the castle, but I knew where I was going! I ran out of the throne room and up a flight of stairs, which led me to another hallway. Seeing that I had no other choice, I ran into a room at random. When I got into the room, however, it was basically empty. No bed, no furniture, nothing, just an open window. I closed the door be hind me, of course, and locked it just to be safe. I didn't hear Scourge behind me, or on this floor, so I was safe, for now.

I better take this for granted. Maybe I can figure out why I couldn't teleport. I took out my Chaos Emerald from my quills and examined it a bit. I noticed that its glow was fainter than usual. I wonder if the Anrachy Beryl being present in the castle was affecting it? I mean, those gems are basically Anti-Chaos Emeralds, and they have negative energy inside of them. A Chaos Emerald, from my understanding, is more pure. Still...I didn't understand it...

"Chaos Control!!"...........Nothing.

"Chaos....CONTROL!!".........Still nothing.

"Chaos.....**_CONTROL!!" _**Nothing...I stood there in the middle of the room, holding my precious gem in my hand, waiting to teleport away from this place. Honestly...did Shadow have this much trouble? In fact, he teleported here in one of the issues of the comics! If he can do it so easily, why can't I? Maybe it's because I'm too young...Maybe my body is still adjusting to the Chaos Energy in my body, and I can't teleport a lot like Shadow can. It's probably because Shadow is older and he was _created _to use Chaos Energy. I, on the other hand, had just realized I could do these things AND I had just recently turned into my true hedgehog form. So, I could understand why I couldn't do a lot. Still, I _had _to find a way to get out of here. I wasn't going to wait around for someone to save me. Like I said before, I'm not Princess Peach. Frustrated, I tucked my emerald back into my quills.

Walking back over to the door, I opened it as slowly as I could so it wouldn't make that creaking sound. I opened it enough to where the door was cracked, and I could see through it. I peeked out and gazed into the hallway. It was empty, as well as quiet. Still, I couldn't really trust that. My ears moved around like radars instinctively. They were trying to pick up any sounds that might've been present here. Still, there was no sound. Even so, my nose was picking up some sort of smell...It smelled like...fur. The scent was familiar though...VERY familiar. But, there was something about the scent that was...different. I couldn't describe it...Eh, I guess it's nothing to worry about.

The coast was clear, so I opened the door and stepped out into the empty hallway. Or...I _thought _it was an empty hallway...I tried to go back towards the stairwell I came up from, but I was stopped when I felt two hands go around my waist and pull me back. It was then when I felt the smoothness of black leather, saw hands covered with black fingerless gloves, and that fur smell was a lot stronger now. _Right on time, Greenie..._I turned around to be greeted by a green hedgehog wearing a black leather jacket and red sunglasses. Yup, it was Scourge. Who else would it be? Well, it's not _too _bad. The idiot still thinks I'm under that spell.

"Hey baby. Did the spell wear out already?" he asked. _Ok Scourge, you win...You're smart._

"Why would you do such a thing anyway--Nevermind..." Good thing I stopped myself from asking a stupid question. _Yeah, Scourge'll do anything that's evil._

"Eh, I'm not worried 'bout it. I got'cha here, so that's all that matters." he said leaning against the wall,

"Ok, you know what: you and me gotta talk." _Time for the ol' "I'm breaking up with you" talk. Hopefully that'll work..._

"Eh? What's wrong now? Don't tell me it's about me and the Doc destroying Mobion..."

"That, and something else."

"Well, what?"

"Scourge...you're smothering me."

"Smothering you?"

"Yeah. Look, I can't deal with a guy threatening to hurt or kill my friends, breaking into my house, putting a spell on me and planning on destroying a planet! Plus, we only met a few days ago, and you wanna marry me. Listen, all I'm trying to say is that I need some space, ok?" _And a restraining order..._

"Wait, are you breaking up with me?" _We were never together, moron..._

"I never said that."

"But you were implying that."

"I was not! All I said is that you stalk me!"

_"Stalk _you?! You're saying that I _STALK _you?! You're the one who said _you _liked _me!!"_

"Well guess what, 'Scourgie', I only said that to get you away from my friend!! I _never _liked you! You're a jerk, womanizer, an evil hedgehog, and I always thought you were **_UGLY!!"_**

"Please honey, I had to stop myself from throwing up everytime I looked at you."

"HA! Look who's talking!! Why don't you do yourself a favor and grow a pair of balls, hm?"

"...Are you implying that I'm dickless?"

"I'm not implying; I'm _SAYING _your dickless!! Bastard!!"

"Asshole!!"

"Prick!!"

"Jackass!!"

"MAN-WHORE!!"

"Ok, you just crossed the line, sweetie!! Dawn, we're **_THROUGH!!" _**

"WELL IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!! I'LL BE GLAD TO BREAK UP WITH YOU!!"

"GOOD! SEE YA!" Scourge then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a Warp Ring. He then grabbed my hand and slammed the ring into my hand.

"You're lucky I'm gonna be nice to ya. Unlike most guys who break up with their girls, I perfer to make sure mine get home safely." he growled before walked away and down the stairwell. Wow...my very first couple fight and break-up. The only thing that's a bit sad is that Scourge and I weren't even in a relationship. Plus, I wasn't even planning on that little argument. It just happened. However, I was glad that the whole thing got me away from Scourge. With my Warp Ring in tow, I jumped through it and reappeared back on Mobius and near the castle. And, for once, I was looking forward to gossiping to Evra about my fight.

* * *

**_Friday_**

**_Knothole Village Park_**

**_7:13pm_**

Brendon, Cyrus, Evra and I were in Knothole Village's park. The whole thing with Scourge had calmed down, and now I was taking my time to relax by bragging about my fake couple fight. Evra seemed very excited to hear the story, while Cyrus seemed happy that the green hedgie got what he had coming for him. Brendon was just relieved to his friends and girlfriend safe.

"But I don't understand! Why did he get so angry?" Evra asked.

"Because I said that I needed some space, and then he accused me of breaking up with him!" I exclaimed.

"Oooh he seems possesive! I could tell he was smothering you!"

"I know right?? He's a jerk anyway..."

"Well, I'm glad you got away from him! By the way, did Sonic ground you?"

"Nah, he was kiddin'! He gave me my allowence too. One hundred Rings exactly."

"That's great! We could all hang out tomorrow!"

"Yeah, if a mission doesn't come up were and we're stuck indoors again." Brendon commented. We all had to laugh at that. Maybe now we could get some peace...Still...What about Dr. Finitevus's plans? Are Sonic and the Freedom Fighters going to stop him? Or is the doctor going to achieve his goal.

"Oh, hey. Rotor and Tails said that Sonic and the others are going to investigate what this doctor's up to. For now, we're all on standby." said Cyrus. _Thanks for reading my mind, Cyrus buddy. _Well, at least Sonic's on top of this. Still...I was starting to feel weird again. I was feeling...guilty for some odd reason...Was I upset over the fight with Scourge? God, I hope not...That whole thing was to get rid of him in the first place. Why did I feel bad?! He's a jerk, you all know that.

...Still...Scourge _did _treat me nicely over this little time period. Sure, he put a spell on me and all, but he's evil. That's expected. I mean, I never seen him act so, romantic towards a girl. I mean, he _DID _do that in the comics, but he only did that to ruin Sonic's reputation. That's how Fiona fell in love with him. She fell for it. I won't though. I wonder if that fur smell I smelled earlier was Scourge's scent? I just thought about that...I guess hedgehogs recognize others by scent like other animals, who knows? The leather on his jacket was so smooth, and he felt warm too.

I don't know why, but the more I thought about the green bastard, the warmer my face felt. Why was I thinking about him anyway? I mean, I didn't mean it when I said he was ugly...He _is _attractive after all. And I can finally say that without getting weird looks from humans like on Earth. Now that I'm a hedgehog, I can be attracted to an anthro be be proud dammit. He should do something about those teeth of his though. I hope they have good dentists here on Mobius. But, then again, his teeth seemed to compliment his looks. And his eyes are pretty...I mean, I have icy blue eyes, but his are...gorgeous..._Oh my God...No, no, it's happening! _

"Hey Dawn, are you ok?" Evra asked.

"Yeah, you look like you're thinkin' about something." Brendon added.

"Huh?! Oh...I-I'm fine...I'm just a little tired. I'm gonna go home for the day. I'll see you guys tomorrow." I hugged all of my friends and waved goodbye before I Chaos Controlled back into the castle. Sonic hadn't come back yet from his mission, so I took this opprotunity to get something to eat. However, I was able to teleport into the kitchen. Ironic, no? There was a lot of food in the kitchen, surprisingly. I was overwhelmed; what to eat? I decided it'd be best to make something quick; a sandwich. I took out the bread, mayo, turkey meat, some chicken meat, lettuce, tomato, and a knife.

After making my snack, I cleaned up my mess and went back into the living room. Man, the ingredients Daddy has are freakin' _FRESH. _WAY better than the stuff on Earth--or, it WAS Earth...I turned on the television and flipped through the channels as I ate my sandwich. I wasn't really paying attention to it; I was trying to figure out why I started to think about GreenBean so much. I mean, I AM glad that I got rid of him; kinda. But still...when I thought about him, my face started to feel warm, like I was blushing. It's not...it's not what I think it is...right?

A while later, after I had finished a very good sandwich and found something entertaining to watch, I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. Of course, just knowing it was either Brendon, Cyrus, Evra or all three, I answered my phone without hesitation, and without looking at the caller ID. I wished I looked...

"Hello?"

"Hey..." _Speak of the freakin' devil...He calls me!!_

"How'd you get my number, Scourge?" I asked.

"I still have your number from when we were on Earth." he replied. _Of course..._

"Why are you calling me? I thought we were through."

"I didn't mean that. I was just a little pissed..." _A little? _"Look...I called because...I wanted to apologize."

"Liar."

"No, I mean it! Look, I wanna start over..." _The hell?_

"'Start over'? Scourge, once you're done with a girl, you're _done _with that girl. What makes me any different?"

"Simple: I really like you." _Oh really?_

"Yeah right...Look, I gotta go. I'm paying for my long-distance bill, as well as my minutes on this thing."

"No, wait! I wanna talk to you..."

"About what?"

"About the fight earlier. Look, I overreacted 'cause...I didn't think I was smotherin' ya. I thought...I thought I was treatin' ya right, baby..." _Are you out of your mind?!_

"Treating me right? Weeell, threating to hurt my friends, putting me under a spell, forcing me to a date and into marriage...I think that's repelling your girl."

"What do ya expect? I'm...y'know...ANYWAY, how about we _really _make up for our date? My treat."

"No Scourge. I'm grounded, and I'm tired."

"Awww c'mon!"

"Scourge, if ya care 'bout me, then you'd respect how I feel. If I don't wanna go out, then you'll have to respect that. If ya don't, then you're not a good guy; if you're not a bad guy already."

"...Alright. I'll take ya out when ya feel like it, how 'bout that?"

"Fine...h-hey, wait a minute: When the HELL did you get a phone?!"

"I have my ways...Anyways, talk to ya later, babe. See you soon." I hung up once I saw that click on the other end. I placed the phone next to me on the couch and continued to watch the television. But...did Scourge really mean what he said? His voice was so...soft...sincere...and sweet..._What the hell am I saying?! _I mentally slapped myself twice. I shouldn't be thinking about him like this!! Ugh, it's the fangirl part of me again...That date didn't sound like a bad idea though...And he's so gorgeous! I mean, he was already attractive in the comics but jeez! In person, he's...stunning! _Dawn, snap out of it!!_

What the hell was wrong with me..? I shouldn't be thinking about that bastard this much!! But, even so...my face felt very warm...No--how did this happen?! I don't want to be another Fiona! I don't want history to repeat itself!! I should've got rid of him when all of this first started!! I knew I was going to regret that decision I made...But who knew I was going to pay for it _this _much...I really hate the fangirl a part of me...But, that fangirl in me wasn't doing this...It was myself...But why?! Why me?! _**Why am I falling in love with Scourge?!**_

* * *

**End Notes: **I felt the same way Dawn feels after I found out about the demented hedgie. XD

Reveiws, reveiws and more reviews!! I love your feedback, guys! Next chapter might be delayed, but we'll have to see.

Thanks for reading!! God bless, and see you all next time! ^^


	15. Father and Daughter

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

**_Friday_**

**_8:00pm_**

**_Knothole Village Castle_**

I saw Sonic sitting in the living room on the couch drinking a glass of apple juice. He had came home for the night from his current mission with Dr. Finitevus. While he was coming home, I took a quick shower. I put on some pajamas; a black t-shirt, and blue sweat pants. I decided to walk around the house--er--castle barefoot since I really didn't need any socks. The white fur covering my feet _were_ my socks.

Sonic was slouched back on the couch, with his legs crossed on the coffee table in front of him. He was watching T.V., but he looked really bored. His ear turned toward me when I came into the room. After that, when he turned to me, he smiled and moved over on the couch a bit. He patted the space in front of him, gesturing me to sit next to him. I smiled before I walked over to the blue blur and sat next to him. Though I was happy to finally be able to spend a little time with my dad, I was upset on the inside...I think he could tell too. He placed his hand over mine, and he looked into my eyes.

"You ok, kiddo?" he asked.

"Dad...um...there's something I...need to tell you but...I'm afraid to..." I replied quietly.

"Aw, you can tell me anything! I'm your old man, ain't I?" I couldn't help but to smile. He made me feel a little better. Still...I _knew _he was going to flip out once he hear this...

"Dad...I think I'm falling in love with Scourge..." Sonic had took a sip of his apple juice by that point. However, when he heard what I just said, all that liquid spews out of his mouth like a sprinkler. He quickly placed his glass back on the coffee table and looked at me. My ears folded back (his did too) as I scooted away from him a little.

"Wh-what?!" was the only thing he could choke out. _Run Dawn, RUN!! _

"I-I'm sorry!! It's just...ok look, I _don't _like him but there's that other part of my mind that thinks I like him. I-I mean the kiss didn't mean anything but--"

"He kissed you?!" _Me and my big mouth..._

"No!!--I mean, he did but--I didn't kiss him back!!"

"That's not the point! You shouldn't have let him do that!!"

"But he did it too quickly! The only thing I could do was push him away!" Sonic heaved out a heavy sigh before he stood up and walked away from the couch and towards the entrance to the balcony a little. His ears were still folded against his head and he crossed his arms. His index finger was repeatedly tapping his forearm as if he was thinking of something.

"I thought you knew better..." he suddenly said while turning his head towards me a little. I could only see have of his left eye, but I could easily tell he was pissed. And, let me tell you: you _definately _don't want to be around Sonic when he's pissed. There's no telling what he'd do at that point.

"B-but I do...i-it's just..." I stammered.

"If you knew better, then why would you let something like this happen?"

"I said I think I might be! I never said I was!"

"And you expect me to believe that?" _Ouch..._

"B-but..."

"Ah-ah! I don't wanna hear another word out of you. In fact, I want you to go to your room; NOW." I wasn't going to argue or even protest. I got up and silently went back to my without another word. I didn't even rush or run in there; I just walked. Hey, at least I wasn't your typical teenage girl. At least I didn't yell "I HATE YOU!! YOU RUIN MY LIFE!!" or something like that, running into my room and slamming the door shut. No; I just walked there quietly, and closed the door as quietly as I could. There were no lights on; the only thing that provided any light in my room was the moonlight that poured in through the curtainless windows.

There was one thing I couldn't deny though: I was hurt. Without any hesitation, I threw myself onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow. I felt like crying...I felt so guilty...How could I betray Sonic like that? After all he's done for me...He did the impossible in order to keep me alive! And this is how I repay him...I felt so ungrateful...Before I knew it, hot tears poured out of my eyes and sinked into my pillow. I sobbed silently, thinking of all the things my hero has done for me, and how I repaid him. How could I let something like this happen? I started thinking about running away, but then again, I'm not that stupid. I was better off staying here and trying to resolve this whole thing. I'd rather be with Sonic than anyone else...

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but that's when I looked over at my clock. It was after ten...Was I really crying for that long? I had stopped by now, but a few tears went down my face every so often. I was now lying on my side, fiddling with a dragon plush I had gotten out of the plushie pile a little while ago. Sonic was most likely still mad at me, so it was best if I stayed in my room for the time being. Besides, I had to go to sleep soon anyway.

It was only a few moments later when I heard someone knock on my door softly. I didn't move, nor did I say anything. I stayed in place, still hurt over what had happened. Soon after, I heard my door open, and the sound of slow, soft footsteps soon followed. It was then when I saw blue fur out of the corner of my eye. _I guess he came here to check on me..._I looked up at my blue hero (and father) and saw that he was carrying a plate with a slice of pepperoni pizza on it. I was so glad to see him...my tail wagged a little with happiness, but I was still slightly depressed...

"Hey kiddo..." he said quietly "I brought you a snack just in case you got hungry..." Which I was. That little sandwich I had earlier didn't fill me up at all...Sonic placed the plate on the nightstand next to the bed after I didn't say anything. He sat on the edge of the bed, and placed his (now ungloved) hand on my arm.

"I'm sorry..." was the only thing I was able to say. Really, what else could I say?

"No, _I'm _sorry...I shouldn't have overreacted like I did eralier..." he replied.

"No...you had the right to do that...I mean, this is Scourge we're talking about and--"

"I wasn't concerned about Scourge. It was _you _I was concerned with. Y'see, I have no control on who you should be with or not; and that crushed me. I knew that if you went with him...there's no telling what'd happen to you! I'm just trying to protect my little girl...I don't want to see you hurt..." I felt like crying again. But this time, I was going to cry happy tears. I knew Sonic loved me...I just knew it! It wasn't long before I sat up and hugged my favorite blue blur. He hugged me back soon after, and then he started to stroke my head a little.

"Dad...am I a bad daughter..?" I asked, trying to hold back my tears.

"What?"

"You went out and did the impossible to save me from death...and then you go to Earth to try to take me back...You've been through so much just to see me again, and I took that for granted! I never meant to hurt you, and I never meant to be ungrateful! It's just...I'm confused and..." I couldn't finish my sentence since I started crying again. The only thing I could do was bury my head into Sonic's chest as I cried. I felt him rub my back a bit, trying to calm me down. I kept crying for a few more moments before I finally stopped.

"You're not a bad daughter, hon." Sonic said as he wiped my tears away.

"How..?"

"I just think you're a little confused about what you really want..."

"W-wait...I don't understand..."

"I'll explain: I'm trying to say is that I think you're just unsure about what you really want, especially when it comes to a boy. Y'know your mother, Sally?"

"Yeah?"

"I loved her, but when I was your age, I wasn't sure if my feelings were true or not..."

"So, that's why you had 'other' girlfriends?"

"Right. 'Cause I wasn't sure if I truely loved Sal or not. So, I had to experiment a bit. All in all, I found out that Sally was the only one for me...so, we settled down, and got married. And soon, you were created." Sonic then poked my nose after he completed his sentence. I was glad I was able to talk to Sonic about this thing. And he made me feel better too.

"I just hope that you don't really have feelings for Greenie..."

"I most likely don't. I'm probably just falling for his womanizer charms."

"Heh, true. He has that affect on women. Anyways, it's time for bed, kiddo. I don't wanna wreastle ya outta bed tomorrow. You're gonna have some things to do."

"Understood." Sonic moved the duvets back as I climbed under them. He tucked me in and gave me a quick kiss to my forehead before he got up to leave.

"Dad?" I called just before he walked out of the room.

"Yeah?" he said turning back towards me.

"Thank you...for being there for me."

"You're welcome, hon." Sonic smiled at me before he left out of my room again, closing the door behind him. I was so glad that Sonic and I were able to talk this whole thing out instead of...you know, freaking out over it. Which he kind of did at first, but still...That's what every dad does when they want to protect their daughter from a guy, especially a bad guy. It could've been worse. Sonic could've ran out of Knothole, go to Moebius and kick Scourge's green ass after he heard that. But I'm glad he didn't; not saying I wouldn't be entertained if he _did _by any chance go to Moebius and beat the spit out of GreenBean.

I was about to drift off to sleep, but that's when I remembered that I still had that slice of pizza still on my nightstand. I could tell it was still hot, the the smell of it rushed into my nose. My stomach growled out of hunger after that. Not the kind of person to turn down any food, I ate the pizza slice heartily. And, let me tell you, it was _TASTY. _Who knew pizza was so good? After finishing the crust, I yawned as I place the plate back on the nightstand and laid back down in the bed. It wasn't too long where I drifted off into a deep sleep...

* * *

**End Notes: **Short chapter was short, wouldn't you say?

This was more of a father and daughter bonding moment. I thought I'd dedicate this chapter to these two only. I hope you all liked it, though! ^^

Next chapter _might _be delayed like this one, but I'll start working on it soon enough.

Thanks for reading! See you all next time, and God bless! ^^

P.S. Reveiws people!! I love reveiws! But I don't like harsh/mean ones. Be easy on me. :3


	16. Jungle Japes

**_Chapter Fifteen_**

**_Saturday_**

**_7:15am_**

**_Knothole Village Castle_**

"Raise and shine, kiddo! C'mon, getupgetupgetup! You have a busy day today!" I heard Sonic's hyper yet excited voice ring in my ear as he removed the duvets off of my body. I buried my head under my pillow as I tried to block out the sun's light, as well as blocking out Sonic's voice. Unfortunately, Sonic was desperate to get me up, so he snatched the pillow right out of my hands, leaving my head exposed.

"Wake up, Sleepy-Head! There's a lot we gotta do, and you gotta train!" I heard him say. _Who knew Sonic was such an early bird...? _

"Mmmph...it's too early...Five more minutes..." I mumbled.

"Nope! You're getting up right _now _little lady!" Sonic said before he grabbed my leg and playfully tried to drag me out of my bed. This woke me up, of course, and I began to kick and scream a little out of playfulness. I was still tired, but at least Sonic is playful when he gets me out of bed, unlike my surrogate mother who was strict with it. Plus, he wasn't getting me up to go to school. But...did he say something about training? That doesn't sound good...I sat up in my somewhat naked bed, looking up at Sonic, who was grinning at me.

"You awake yet, kiddo?" he asked, poking my nose.

"Yes dad." I replied, swatting his hand away.

"Good! Now, get up and get dressed; you have a lot to do today. You'll have to have a small breakfast too, so I'll meet you in the kitchen." Sonic then walked out of my room and into the kitchen. I yawned again before I got out of bed and went into the bathroom. I noticed that my fur was messy and unkept. It kinda looked like I had bedhead, but it was all over my body. I took a quick shower, brushed (or groomed) my fur, brushed my teeth, and put on some fresh clothes. I was wearing my favorite outfit: my backless dark blue top, black jeans, black and white tennis shoes with a lime green spot on the top of them, and my black fingerless gloves. I decided not to wear my vest today. The part of Mobius I lived on is a bit of a humid and tropical climate. With the vest and my fur, I'd probably have a heat stroke.

After I was dressed and was done with my hygiene, I went into the kitchen to see Sonic sitting at the table eating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. He said I'd have to have a small breakfast, so I started to look into the cabinets looking for something quick. Thankfully, I found a box of blueberry PopTarts in the cabinet near the refrigerator. I took out a pack and put both of them in the toaster for a short while. They popped right back up just a minute later. I had to put them on a piece of paper towel, though. They were too hot for me to carry in my hands.

"Hey dad, what'd you mean by I had to do some training?" I asked taking a bite out of one of the pastries.

"Shadow's gonna teach you how to control your powers better, and Knuckles is gonna give you some combat lessons as well," he said "After all that's done, Bunnie and Evra are gonna need you at their place."

"Why?"

"To measure you. You need a dress for tomorrow."

"...A dress..? For what?"

"It's a surprise." Sonic gave me a wink before he started to drink the leftover milk in the bowl. I just tilted my head at him a little before I finished the rest of my last PopTart. Sonic had to leave, but he wouldn't tell me where he was going for some odd reason. Before he left, Shadow had came over just in time, with a very familiar red echidna by his side. But instead of knocking on the door, he just Chaos Controlled his way in. Good ol' Shadow, huh?

"I'm trusting you in her care, you two." Sonic said before walking out of the door.

"We'll be fine. All the training will keep her busy." Shadow said calmly with his arms crossed. Sonic smiled at his rival before he kissed me on my forehead and gave me a tight hug.

"Let me know if anything happens, ok?" he said.

"Yup!" I replied smiling. Sonic smiled back before he sped off onto the outside world of Mobius, leaving his trademark blue streak behind him, like always. I turned towards Shadow and Knuckles, a bit nervous with the whole training thing. These two are one of the strongest characters in my book, while I'm just a newbie. I just hope I can meet up to their expectations...And I _really _hoped that they wouldn't act like a military commander or a gym coach...

"Well, I'm ready when you guys are." I said.

"Good. Now let's go!" Knuckles exlcaimed as he placed his fist into his other hand. He looked eager to do this, Shadow was just acting too cool and laid back about it, while I was over here saying my prayers.

"Oh, hold on a second: you might want to change into something more comfortable and cool before you leave. Those clothes you have on right now won't do." said Shadow.

"Alright. I'll go change real quick." I said, walking away from them a little and pulling out my Chaos Emerald.

"Make it quick." I heard Knuckles say.

"C'mon! I'm as fast as my dad! I'll be back before ya know it!" I said before I disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared back in my room. I knew just the thing to put on. I quickly changed into a small dark green tank top, baggy camouflage pants, a small brown sarong went around my waist, and fingerless gloves and boots that were the same color as the sarong. Once I was dressed (again), I Chaos Controlled back down to the parlor where Shadow and Knuckles were waiting for me.

"For being the daughter of the fastest thing alive, you sure are _slow."_ Shadow remarked. I stuck my tongue out at him. I was _not _slow! I wish I could prove it to him by challenging him to a race, but I had to train, so it'll have to wait. I held my blue Chaos Emerald while Shadow held on to his red one. He said that I didn't need to help him teleport, since both him and Knuckles knew where we were going and I didn't. It was best not to protest or argue. I just nodded and tucked my emerald back into my quills. Soon, the three of us disappeared in a flash of light. I really do wonder where we're going for this "training". I just hope I'll be able to stand up to it.

* * *

**_Saturday_**

**_7:39am_**

**_White Jungle_**

Knuckles, Shadow and I reappeared in a type of jungle. There was a lot of large trees and vines, many colorful exotic flowers, and moss covered almost everything here. I heard birds up in the canopies, and there were a lot of ponds and lakes everywhere. We were on the shore of a small river that was at the base of a small waterfall, and it was raining. The water was clear and appeared to be a white color. The pleasant smell of water and plants rushed into my nose. But...this place looked familiar. I've seen this place before, but where?

"I think this place is familiar to you, Dawn," Shadow said "You've visited this place a lot of times before when you were back on Earth and still a human."

"I...I think I know where I am, but I'm not sure..." I said, still examining my new surroundings.

"This is White Jungle. You played it on the game, remember?"

"Oh yeah! I knew this place was familiar."

"Well, shall we get started?" Knuckles asked.

"Sure! What do we do first?" I asked.

"First, we meditate." Shadow said as he took off his shoes and gloves, and walked towards the waterfall. I did the same thing, but I jogged after Shadow to catch up with him.

"Why do we need to meditate?" I asked while following him.

"To clear your body and sprirt before we actually train. This way, it'll be easier for you to focus on what's going on."

"Oh, I get it now." Shadow helped me position myself on the rocks as I sat down on them (and tried to find a comfortable rock, too). The water was warm, but a bit cool too. Still, it felt pleasant on my fur. Shadow sat next to me soon after, and we both crossed our legs and lowered our heads a little. It was then when I noticed Knuckles was heading off into the jungle.

"Hey, Knuckles! Aren't you going to join us?" I called.

"Nah, I do my own meditating. I'll be back later when you two are done!" he replied before he disappeared into the bush. I decided to let it go. Knuckles had a sort of a lone wolf personality. Shurgging it off, I closed my eyes and began to take slow, deep breaths. There was one thing I knew about meditating, is that it's soothing. I meditated a few times before. It was when I attended yoga classes with my surrogate mother when I was about twelve. It was fun, the only thing I didn't like was that is was the only thing I could do.

A few minutes into the meditation, and I started to feel my mind being cleared. The only thing that went through my mind were the sounds of the jungle, such as running water, and the sounds of the birds sqwaking in the treetops. I felt calmed, but I couldn't feel the water hitting my head and running down my body...Well, Shadow did say that I had to clear my mind while doing this. I didn't think it'd make me feel numb too. A few more minutes into the meditation, and I saw a sort of image in my mind.

I saw Sonic sitting under a tree on top of a hill in a field somewhere, but he wasn't alone. There was a small girl next to him; she looked to be at the age of nine or possibly eight. But...there was something about the girl that was _very _familiar. The girl was me! Only...I looked younger. I was wearing an icy blue dress shirt, white capris and black sandals. Sonic's hand was on top of my head. I could tell that he was rubbing my head, since the fur in that area appeared a bit messy and ungroomed through his gloved hand. I saw Sonic's lips moved, and he said something, but I couldn't hear him. What ever he said, it made my younger self giggle a little.

It was only a few moments later when I saw Sonic hoist my younger self on his shoulders. She climbed down a little until she was able to wrap her arms around Sonic's neck. Sonic then held onto my ankles before he ran down the hill. He didn't run too fast though, like how he usually runs. It was more like a jog; but his pace quickened as he made his way down the hill though. But he was able to keep his footing as he made his way down the hill. My younger self was enjoying this, by letting out loud frequent squeals and giggles. Sonic was enjoying himself too. He was laughing along with me as he contined to run.

I wonder...Could this be a memory? But how can that be? Sonic and I were never able to have this kind of moment since I was a human all my life, until now. But, this image looks so real...as if it were a vision of some kind. I wanted to stay longer and see everything we were about to do, but I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a hand go on my shoulder. My eyes shot open, and I soon found myself back in White Jungle, still under the waterfall, still in my meditating position. I saw an ungloved black and red striped furry hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Shadow giving me a sort of worried look.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I replied.

"I tried to get your attention by calling your name, but you didn't say anything. You just kept sitting there..."

"Oh. I just blacked out for a second, that's all."

"I see...Well, we better get started with the real training. Are you refreshed?"

"You bet!" Shadow gave me a small smile before he stood up and walked back towards the riverbank. I followed him soon after, that is, after I recovered from an embarrassing fall into the river itself. Balancing yourself on those rocks is not easy; especially since their wet, and slippery, and you have no shoes on what so ever. You're basically barefoot. After Shadow and I both made it back on the riverbank and put our shoes and gloves back on, we headed into the bush where Knuckles had went through earlier. I didn't keep track of time while we walked, i just knew that we were walking for a long time.

After a while of walking, we finally made it into a large clearing in the jungle. We saw Knuckles setting up wooden and some metal targets in the grass, trees and some thick vines. When he saw us coming, he smiled and walked over to us, while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Are we doin' target practice or something?" I asked while looking at each target.

"Sort of. We want to test your abilities." Knuckles replied.

"You mean my Chaos Powers?"

"That and your physical strength." Shadow added.

"You and Shadow are gonna start out first. Since he can use Chaos Powers better than I can, he'll be a better teacher."

"The meditation session from earlier should've relaxed your body, mind and spirit. Therefore, the training won't be so harsh on your body."

"Sounds fine to me! I'm ready!" Shadow nodded before Knuckles jogged toward a large fallen log that was a few feet away. He climbed on top of it and sat down as if he was going to watch us like at a baseball game. Shadow and I got into our positions in front of a few targets that were implanted into the ground and being supported by a thin, metal stick. The first thing he was going to teach me to do was his trademark move Chaos Spear. He said I had to focus my power into my hands as well as my target. Shadow went first to be an example. As expected, four or five yellow spears of Chaos Eenergy escaped from Shadow's left hand. Each of them hit at least one target, all of them formed a type of row. It looked easy enough, but will I be able to do the same thing?

I took the same stance Shadow took a few seconds earlier, and I focused all of my energy into my hands, and towards the target. As this was going on, I felt a strage sensation in my right hand. I felt like it was full of power, just waiting to be released somehow. My hand felt very warm, but it wasn't irritating or anything like that. I was about to release the energy into what looked to be a sucessful Chaos Spear, but I started to feel an uneasy presence in the jungle.

That uneasiness felt too familiar...It was distant, but near at the same time. My ears began to act like radars, trying to pick up any sounds that might indicate an enemy nearby. Shadow and Knuckles must've noticed this, since Knuckles came off the log and came over to us.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Someone else is here...but I don't know who..." I replied, scanning the area for any signs.

"She's right. I feel a negative energy nearby..." Shadow said quietly.

"Wow Stripes. After all these years, I should've known you'd be able to sense me comin'." Oh no...that voice sounded **_too _**familiar...The three of us looked up to see a green hedgehog wearing red sunglasses and a black leather jacket just standing on a very thick vine. You guess it: It was Scourge. My ears folded back, and I felt my quills harden defensively. When he jumped down in front of his, I almost bared my teeth in a growl, but I stopped myself. However, my mouth was formed into a sneer.

"Nice to see you again, Cookie." Scourge said, glaring at me.

"What are you doing here now?" Shadow asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Ah nothin'. Just here to see what you all are doin'." he replied. There was a bit of mockery and sarcasm in Scourge's voice. That's a red flag to me. He's up to something...but then again, when is he _not _up to something?

"See? I told you he was a stalker. Everywhere I go, he shows up." I remarked.

"Someone doesn't like me today."

"I never liked you."

"Really now? Then why did you come with me on those two dates?" I suddenly felt Shadow's and Knuckles' eyes on me. I don't think they knew the whole thing between me and GreenBean, so to hear him say something like that, I knew they wanted answers by that point.

"Ok, first off, that 'date' we had on Earth doesn't count. You forced me to do that. The second one doesn't count either! It was only a mere distraction to get you away from Cyrus. I never liked you Scourge!"

"Heh! And you expect me to believe that after what happened just the other day?"

"Wow...did all those girlfirends you had over the years affect your ego or something? I'll say it again: I. DON'T. **LIKE YOU!!"**

"Prove it."

"Fine. I never had feelings for you. In fact, I have feelings for someone else."

"And who will that be?" _Shit! I never thought about that! _There weren't a lot of options for me...almost everyone I knew was involved in some sort of relationship.

"Uh..."

"HA!! Didn't think so! I knew it. I knew you couldn't resist me."

"I do have feelings for someone else! I'm just not telling you because then you'd kill him!"

"If that were the case, then you would've told me up front!" _DAMN! I hate smart Scourge..._

"Fine. I'll say it. She has feelings for me." Shadow suddenly said stepping forward. _WHAAAAAT?! _Ok, all I have to say is this: If I was still a Shadow fangirl like I was a few years ago...you'd probably imagine how I'd react right about now...But still...why the _hell _would Shadow defend me like this?! This is a bit...unlike him. Unless they have his sort of emo and stern character wrong back on Earth...

"She was hesitant to tell you because she knew how much me and you hate each other. She was just trying to protect me." Shadow added. It was then when I felt his fingers intertwine with mine. I jumped a little, and I felt my face go a little warm. _Don't blush Dawn...Your life depends on it! _This was a bit awkward to me...I mean seriously...out of all people SHADOW was the one to do this sort of thing. Am I lucky, unlucky or both? I can't tell...Even so, he was holding my hand to make this little white lie look more real...At least, I _hoped _it was a lie...

Scourge glared at us with intense anger in his eyes. I could tell by his jaw movement that he was chewing the inside of his cheeks out of anger. At this point, we'd best be on our toes. When Scourge is like this, anything could happen. Shadow knew that too it seems, since I felt his grip on my hand become tighter. _God please help me..._The last thing I need is a love triangle. Well, one thing was for certain now: I don't have any feelings for Scourge anymore. I wondered why Knuckles didn't say anything through this whole thing though...He didn't even get into his combat stance. He just stood there, looking at all of us. Maybe he was too overwhelmed by all of this, who knows?

I was expecting the four of us to fight soon, but nothing happened. Surprisingly, after a few minutes of getting a stare down from Scourge, he backed off! Seriously! He didn't even attack! He just backed away a few steps while glaring at us still, and then walked off! That was...strange...Even so, I was very glad that there was no fighting. But I couldn't help but to wonder why Scourge backed down the way he did...It just didn't seem right...

Once Scourge was gone, Shadow finally released my hand. Maybe I was imagining this, but he seemed a little hesitant. Ah well, I'm not going to worry about it.

"Well, that went a lot better than I expected..." I finally said.

"Yeah. I didn't think he'd back down so easily." Knuckles added.

"Hey, Shadow...thanks for sticking up for me back there. I mean, I know you don't want to hear it but--"

"Don't mention it. I couldn't bare to see that scene for too much longer. You really don't need to be harrassed by him." Shadow replied.

"I owe you one." I said smiling at him.

"Well, we shouldn't have to worry about _him _for a while, wouldn't you say? Let's get back to the training." said Knuckles. Hey, he had a point. It's a lot better than standing around in a jungle, worrying about what Greenie might be up to. I nodded at the two as we walked back to our little training facility. I was eager to continue my training, but there were still a few minor things running through my mind. First and foremost, why would Shadow defend me like that? It was unlike him...Secondly, did he really seem hesitant to release my hand after Scourge left, or was I just imagining it? I felt the muscles in his hand tense up in the fashion where he was about to release it, but it softened soon after. And it repeated at least two or three times. Eh, I wouldn't worry about it right now. For now, I'll just focus on learning how to use my new abilities, and try not kill my teachers in the process.

* * *

**End Notes: **Eeee! I got the next chapter up in one day! But it'd probably still be another day before you all see it. XD

Next chapter might be delayed, but we'll have to see, won't we? I'll see if I can start working on it, though.

Reveiws are yummy. Feed me more reveiws please! :3

Thanks for reading! God bless, and see you next time!


	17. Shadow Gets a Friend

**_Chapter Sixteen_**

**_Saturday_**

**_11:36am_**

**_White Jungle_**

It's a good thing Shadow told me to change my clothes into something more comfortable and cool. I was hot, sweaty and a bit tired. I had finished learning how to use Chaos Spear, I improved Chaos Control a little, now I was practicing agility and strength. I was still training with Shadow since he was fast and agile. I had to dodge his punches, kicks and his Chaos Spear attack without taking any damage. You know, if you think about it, this would be a good mission in a Sonic game. But this is **not **as easy as it sounds. Shadow is fast next to Sonic; even though I'm fast like my dad, doesn't mean that I'm rusty in this field.

Shadow charged at me and tried to give me another kick to my jaw. Luckily, I was able to do a backflip and dodge his attack. I thought I was out of the woods by that point, but I was wrong. As soon as I got back on my feet, Shadow charged at me again. This time, Shadow's gloves were off and his claws were drawn. It's a good thing we're training, or else Shadow would've clawed me to death.

It almost felt like an instinct, but when I saw Shadow's claws, mine suddenly came out as well. They were sharp, but they were a lot smaller compared to Shadow's. He tried to slash me, but I quickly moved back and mimicked his attack. He was able to dodge me, of course, but I was counting on that. He had to duck due to when I tried to slash him, but while he was still croched down, I was able to kick him in the stomach. I kicked him pretty hard too. He was blown back and landed on his back, letting out a silent grunt. Feeling more confident, I was ready to take what ever he was going to throw at me now.

Shadow quickly recovered from the hit, and was back on his feet in no time. He charged at me again, his hands balled into fists and ready to give me a clean punch to my lower abdomen. I let him get close enough until I jumped up and out of the way to dodge, but it seemed as if Shadow knew I was going to do that. I was still airborne when he launched another Chaos Spear at me. There were a lot more than usual; about seven or possibly eight. There was no way I was going to dodge _all _of those things like this...I might have to take the hit. Unless...

Gathering my strength, I curled into a ball and Spin Dashed towards the ground. I dodged most of them, but one of them was able to nip me. I felt the burst of Chaos Energy pass by my quills. At least it didn't hit my flesh, right? I was almost to the ground, but I wasn't safe. Shadow had launched another Chaos Spear at me. By now, I was close to the ground, and I dodged the spear-like plasma bursts. I was fast, too! Gaining more speed, I decided to give a little present to my red striped teacher.

Dodging the Chaos Spear the best way I could, I rammed into Shadow and carried him towards a small pond. We both went into the shallow water, making a large _SPLASH! _on impact. Well, the pond's water gave me little relief. It cooled me off a little, as well as washing some of the sweat away. Let me tell you, sweaty fur is _very _unpleasant. It's sticky, it mats to your skin, and it makes you hotter. You'd think that the rain would help, but it didn't.

Shadow was still sitting in the shallow water while I stood over him. I was panting, but I kept my fighting stance. I was tired, hot and a little hungry. But I knew I had to endure it. I wanted to be a fighter...I wanted to be strong like my dad. I wanted to be a great Freedom Fighter, and I wanted to be able to fight for myself when the odds are pushed against me. I had to do this. I am the princess of Mobius, and I shall not fail! It was then when I saw Shadow look up at me. He looked me dead in the eye for a few seconds before he smiled and stood up.

"Alright, let's take a break." he said as he turned me around and pushed me back towards dry ground.

"Already? But I was just getting started!" I said as I sat down on the cool but wet grass.

"You're a tough girl, but I could tell you were tired even with the determination that I could see in your eyes. You're just like your father."

"Heh, I know."

"You're skilled, but you also lack in some fields." Knuckles said as he walked up to us.

"Isn't that the whole point of this training?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"It is, but it also shows us where you are and what you need to improve." Shadow replied. "Your agility is getting better, and you seem to be able to detect an opponent's attack pattern, even when they changed it."

"I try."

"The sun is high in the sky. That must mean that it's noon. We'll have to save this traning session for another day." Knuckles said as he looked up into the sky.

"Now?? But I wasn't even able to train with Knux yet!" I protested.

"We'll continue another day. Come on, we have to take you to Bunnie's." Shadow said as he put his gloves back on. My ears flattened against my head and my bottom lip poked out a bit. I knew pouting about it wouldn't help, so I just let out a small sigh before Shadow Chaos Controlled us back into Knothole Village. Knuckles had to go since he says he stayed away from the Master Emerald for too long and he had to go back right away so he could continue to guard it (no surprise there). Shadow decided to stay with me for a while longer since Sonic wasn't back doing God knows what.

The two of us then made our way to Bunnie's house, which was on the other side of the village. To save us time, I challenged Shadow to a race. He said no the first few times, but after a few taunts he finally gave in. We took our places in the middle of the village. Bunnie's house was going to be our finish line, obviously. When I yelled "GO!", the two of us sped off into the village; Shadow left his trademark yellow streak behind him, while mine was a magenta color for some reason.

Man, now I know how Sonic feels whenever he runs, especially at this speed. The feeling of the wind rushing past you, and the blur of the world around you speeding past you...you felt free! You felt like no one could stop you! You felt like the wind! I kept a close eye on Shadow as we raced. He looked serious, as we as determined while he skated. He kept a close eye on me too, so we kept giving each other a few glances after a few hundred paces. We had to dodge a few trees as we ran, but they were no big deal. With the previous training from earlier, my agility enhance a little; so tree dodging was a piece of cake now.

We were both neck and neck in the race, but we were so close to Bunnie's place now. I'd had to put all my effort into the home stretch, and Shadow knew that too. I ran as fast as my legs would go, feeling like I was going as fast as my blue blur. Shadow lagged behind a little, but he soon caught up to me only a mere second later. I could see Bunnie's house by now. It was only a few feet away. With all of my strenght, I propelled my legs as fast as they could go. The house was rapidly coming closer the faster I ran. _Almost there...Just a few more paces!_

Finally, Shadow and I crossed the finish line. I looked over at him, and he was looking at me with his arms crossed, and with a small smile on his face.

"It was a tie." was the only thing he said before he walked over to the house.

"No way! I could've sworn I won!" I remarked as I followed the red striped hedgie. I soon noticed that Bunnie's house was actually a two story mansion. It was made out of red bricks, with white window frames and a white door. Green vines with a type of flower blooming from them were covering parts of the grand house. There was lush green grass everywhere, and there was even a small flower garden just on the side of the house. How was Bunnie able to get a place like this?

I followed Shadow as he walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. We had to wait a few moments before someone finally came to the door and opened it. Surprisingly, it was Evra.

"Hi Dawn! Hi Shadow!" she greeted.

"Hey there, Evra." Shadow and I replied in unison.

"Oh? What's with the army getup?" Evra asked as she noticed my clothes.

"I was training with a few friends." Evra smiled as she let us come in. If you thought the outside was pretty, then you wouldn't believe what was on the inside. It looked like a typical mansion, with a grand staircase, diamond chandeliers, clean hardwood floors, etc. The only difference was that there were a few mannequins with different colors and syles of clothes and mannequin heads that had wigs on them in many colors and styles. A few moments later, we saw Bunnie walk out of a room that was on the other side of the parlor.

"You're right on time!" she said as she walked up to me.

"Hi there Bunnie. Dad told me to come here." I said.

"Mhmm. We have to get your measurements." Evra said as she pulled my arm and began to pull me towards the room Bunnie came from. Shadow and Bunnie followed us soon after.

"But I don't get it...Why do you need my measurements? What's it for?" I asked.

"It's a surpriiiiiiise~" Evra sang as she pushed me into the room. She gestured me to stand on a small stool that was in the middle of the room. I stood on it, and I decided to examine the room a little more. It looked like it was a fashion studio of some kind. Shirts, top, pants, shorts, capris, skirts and dresses of a variety of shapes and colors hung on the walls of the room. There were some lose cloths scattered through the room too. Some hung over couches, while others rested on the floor and some rested on a table. The room itself was decorated with red and pink wallpaper, and there was a paint like smell in the room.

Shadow sat in a chair as Bunnie got some measuring tape from a drawer. She instructed me to stand up stright, and hold my arms out. I did as I was told, obviously. Bunnie measured my height, waist, and arms, and Evra recorded the data in a small notepad she had in her hands and using a pink flower pen to write with. After that was all done, Bunnie asked me what my favorite color was. That was a difficult question to answer...So, I said I had two: Icy blue and white. I decided to leave out dark blue and black for my own reasons. After that, the two rabbits picked out a few large pieces of cloth out of some boxes. Bunnie said that she didn't need us anymore, plus the project they were working was a surprise, so Shadow and I had no choice but to leave.

Shadow and I were now walking around the forest part of Knothole. We were bored, and everyone was basically busy. I tried visiting Brendon, Cyrus, Rotor and Tails back at HQ, but they said they were busy, and didn't even let us into the building! Sonic wasn't back yet, Knuckles was guarding the emerald, most of the girls were out shopping and refused to let me come, and the males were out doing who knows what. I was stuck with Shadow with nothing to do. It wasn't a bad thing, of course, but I was bored!

With no where else to go, Shadow and I Chaos Controlled into Station Square, Mobius' big city. We decided to go to a small restaurant since there was nothing else btter to do (plus we were both hungry and Shadow refused to go into a mall). I was hungry, but I don't know if I could speak for Shadow. I never saw him eat, and he never showed any signs of hunger. I guess this would be a good time to see him eat for the first time. Still...I couldn't help but to wonder why everyone was acting strange. It was like they were keeping something from me...Even so, I wouldn't be able to find out. I could only hope that the rest of the day would go by quickly...

* * *

**_Shadow's POV_**

I could tell Dawn was very puzzled and curious by everyone's behavior. I wasn't, since I knew what was going on. But I had to keep the girl busy to buy the others some time. I couldn't think of nowhere else to go. She didn't want to be in the village anymore, so I thought it'd be a good idea to bring her out into the city where there's a lot of places to explore, and there was more space out here. However, we were limited on places to go since I'm not into shopping. So, we were left to come to this little eating place. I wasn't the type of person who'd eat in front of others, but I decided to make an exception with Dawn.

By this time, our food had came. We both ordered the same thing, which was a medium cheese pizza. We both ate in silence, though I would've perferred it that way if my emotions weren't fighting each other right now. It all started after I met her back on Earth. Since then I've been feeling...strange. I can't describe it. All I know is that I was...happy, when I was around her. It got worse after what happened with Scourge in White Jungle. She didn't deserve to be harrassed by him, but why would I stand up for her like that and pose as her...y'know, crush? Hm...it's best not to think about such things right now.

"Hey...Shadow?"

"Yes?"

"When we first met back on Earth...Why'd you take me into the woods if dad's house was on the other side of town?" _I knew it was coming..._

"W-well...you see, we all had the same mission as to bring you back to Mobius. So...I-I thought that if I brung you back while you were unconscious, it'd be mission complete and we could get off of that God forsaken planet..." I gripped the table cloth tightly the more I talked about...that planet. I hated Earth...Those humans only caused me nothing more than grief, loneliness, sorrow, and most of all...misery. Those humans **murdered **the only person who was important to me...If you ask me, Finitevus did us all a favor. Now those disgusting humans are our own kind, and they _WILL _learn the importance of someone else's life...even if I have to force it on them.

"I can understand how you feel..." _Does she really?...No. I doubt it._

"Oh? Well, care to explain?"

"Well, after years and years of video games, comics and reading every article on Archie wiki, I felt your pain after I found out your story. You hated mankind and wanted to destroy all of the humans out of vengence because they killed your best friend."

"And?"

"Well...if I was in your position, I'd feel the same way. In fact, I do feel the same way a little. Everytime I play a game or read one of the comics, I allways wished I could live here on Mobius and be an anthro of some kind. I didn't care what I'd become, nor did I care if I had powers or not. I just wanted to be a Mobian...And now, I find out that I was born an anthro, and Sonic's my dad! It was basically a dream come true for me...'cause then, I _knew _I could finally leave Earth. I didn't want to be there anymore...There was just so many things wrong with that planet...Most of the humans were a little mean to me when I started school. They teased me because I was different...if you weren't 'normal', then they see every right to make your life a living hell. However, like you, I gave anyone who had a problem with me a good beating. But here, you could be anyone you wanted to be and no one would have a problem with it! And I hated the fact that humans killed one another just for pleasure, or because it's their 'job', like how they did Maria. It's like very few of them care about life...but here, it's different."

I didn't hear the other stuff Dawn kept talking about. After the last sentence, I trailed off. I never knew the girl and I had such similar veiwpoints on humans...And I never knew that she wanted to become an anthro, until now, that is. But why would those kids harrass her because she looked different? I mean, I got a few stares when I went to her school that day, but they said nothing to me. Was it because her hair was white? It's a good thing I wasn't there when all of this happened, or else I would've seriously harmed one of those kids. She was a sweet girl (even though she's like her father, who's my rival), so why mess with her? She did nothing to hurt anyone...

Wait, why am I showing so much compassion for her?! Is it because she shows compassion for me? Or is it because we have similar veiwpoints? And there was something about her eyes that was...familiar...There was a sparkle in her eyes that reminded me of someone...And seeing the way she cared for her friends as well as her father, it reminded me of how Maria was when we were together...It was that same sparkle. And there was something about the clothes she were wearing that seemed to have made her...attractive. I'm not sure if it was the tank top, the baggy pants, the sarong or her whole outfit. I don't even understand why her clothes made her attractive; they were just something to wear as we trained.

"...Oh, am I boring you? I'll stop rambling if that's the case."

"What? Oh! No, no please continue. I like hearing you talk." _For once..._

"Huh, that's a first. I thought someone who talked too much was someone who did mindless babbling in your book." _Hmph! She got me there._

"Uh, t-that may be so, but you have things _intelligent _to say unlike other people I know."

"Like Sonic?"

"Yes, like Sonic." Dawn let out a small chuckle as she finished the crust of her last slice of pizza. We were done eating for the day, so I paid for the food though Dawn protested as I did so. The only thing we could do now was walking around Station Square for a little while until Sonic got back, which will take him forever. As we walked, I noticed that Dawn would stop at every candy store or bakery that was on each block. _Is this girl on her period? She shouldn't want sweets THAT much..._I litterally had to buy a big bag of sweets that contained cookies, cupcakes, donuts and pastries to keep her content. This girl loved to eat, it seems...

I don't know why, but the day seemed to have went by rather quickly now...The sun was about to set, and it looked to be about early evening or so. Sonic should be back soon, so I'll have to take the girl home soon. Even so...I hoped that Sonic's return would be delayed a little. I wanted to spend just a little more time with her...I never felt this way about a person before--well, that's not _entirely _true. I only felt this way around Maria. After she died, I made a promise to myself to never bond with someone out of fear that they'd be taken away from me again. I don't want to admit it, but I think I'm starting to see Dawn as...a friend.

* * *

**End Notes: **Short chapter, I know. But there might be a suprise in the next chapter! That is, if it's not delayed.

Reveiws, reveiws and even more reveiws! Keep 'em comin' everyone! :D

Thanks for reading! See you later, and God bless!


	18. Birthday Bash

**_Chapter Seventeen_**

**_Sunday_**

**_Knothole Castle_**

**_10:20am_**

I'm glad yesterday went by quicker than I expected at first. The only thing I could really do was hang out with Shadow since Sonic and the others were either busy or out. However, I was able to bond with Shadow a little more and we had similar veiwpoints with the whole thing with Earth and the humans. I think I might've found a friend in Shadow, but who knows? Anyway, Sonic came home that night at around eight or close to nine. I don't really remember. I was glad he was back though. After he came home, me and him bonded some more by eating ice cream in and watching T.V. in the parlor. I loved being with Sonic...but the ice cream, combined with a lot of toppings like chocolate and strawberry syrup, sprinkles, caramel, a few cherries, brownie chunks, chocolate chips, cookie dough, marshmallows, and whipped cream, it made him more hyper than a squirrel. We played a little game of chase after that, since I had to keep him moving at all times when that happened.

Seriously; you try running away from an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog that can run at abnormal speeds that's hyped up off of six hundred pounds of sugar and you'd get really tired too. After he finally crashed (which was two very long hours later), he fell alseep on the couch. I had to put a pillow under his head and put a blanket over him. Just like he did me, I gave him a kiss on his forehead before I retired to my bedroom. Once in there, I took a quick shower (that was a freakin' godsend, I swear. All the sweat I accumulated from the training earlier made me feel...very uncomfotable), changed into my pajamas and went to bed. I feel asleep rather quickly, I had dreams of me and Sonic bonding...How I wished those dreams never ended.

I woke up this morning not to be greeted with a hyperactive blue hedgehog trying to get me out of bed. I found that a little disappointing, since I liked the way Sonic got me up the other day. He made it fun instead of a chore. However, the only good thing is that I was able to sleep for a while longer. However, I noticed that today was rather...quiet. I didn't hear Sonic nowhere in the castle...I only heard the constant chirping of the birds outside. I sat up in my bed and scanned my surroundings. Everything was normal...except there was something white and folded at the foot of my bed with a white note with a blue border around it on the folded cloth.

Curiousity took over as I reached over towards the folded cloth and dragged it towards me. I took the note off of the cloth and read it. It said:

_"Put this on and meet us in the throne room. _

_There will be signs posted through the castle to lead you there._

_You'll be in for a surprise when you get here._

_See ya soon!_

_-From, Sonic._

_P.S. Be quick about it! Even though you're my daughter, you're too slow!"_

I hope Sonic knows that the last part of his sentence was actually his taunt in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Very curious about this, and eager to find out what my surprise was, I took a quick shower, brushed my fur and came back into my room to see just what this cloth was. The cloth was actually a dress. It was pure white, with an icy blue design at the bottom of the dress, at the end of the sleeves and at the chest. There was also a pair flat icy blue dress shoes hidden under the dress. _What do I need to wear a dress for? _I hated wearing dresses...But, my dad told me to put it on. And, if this surprise he's talking about it worth it, I'll let it go.

Pushing the irritation aside, I put on the dress and the shoes without protest. I found out that there were no actual sleeves on the dress. Instead, the sleeves started at my forearm and left my shoulders exposed. I looked into my mirror that was next to my closet and exmained myself (something I don't really do on a regular basis, but I wanted to see how I looked in a dress). I don't want to admit it, but the dress looked good on me. And it wasn't one of those dresses that looked puffy past the waist; it was flowing, yes, but the cloth remained limb and it looked skinny. I twirled in front of the mirror a bit, and the dress opened a little. I giggled a little, feeling a little more confident.

After all of that was said and done, I walked out of my room and began to search for any signs that'd lead me to the throne room. I found one sticking to the wall outside my room immediately. There was a large black 3-dimensional arrow on it that was pointing towards the stairs. _That was obvious..._I followed the arrow and went downstairs to be greeted with another arrow that pointed towards a hallway going the opposite way of the kitchen and parlor. I walked down the hallway, examining every detail of this corridor I never came to. There were a lot fo pictures of the royal family that lived here through the years. I saw Sonic and Sally's picture a little while later. If only I could be in the picture with them...

The hallway seemed to have go on forever until I finally came to two large doors. There was another note taped to the door. It was the same as the note I found in my room, only this one was folded over the word _"Congradulations!" _in bold blue letters on the front of it. I took the note and read it. It said:

_"You finally made it! You better not have took a long time! But, I'll be the judge of that._

_Open the door and you'll be greeted with your surprise._

_You will soon find out why everyone acted so secretive yesterday._

_-From, Sonic."_

I felt my heart beat faster with excitment as I taped the note back onto the door. Though I was excited, I was a bit nervous too. What lies behind this door? And what is this "surprise" Sonic keeps talking about? There's only one way to find out. After straightening out my dress to get rid of any visible wrinkles, I took a deep breath before I grabbed both of the door's handles, turned them and pushed both doors open. When I saw the room, however, it was completely dark. The only thing that provided a little light was the sun's rays that poured through the stained glass windows. I saw some chandeliers on the ceiling, but they were off.

I took a few steps into the room, and it was indeed the throne room. I saw two thrones at the very end of the room. This place was HUGE though...I wonder how many people--er--Mobians could fit in here. I only had to take at least three or four steps into the room before the lights suddenly came on.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS!!" I almost fell backwards when I saw at least hundreds of Mobians pop out of nowhere as soon as the lights came on. Everyone was here! Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Rouge, E-103 Omega, Cream and Cheese, Vanilla, Chip, Shade, Blaze, Silver, Bernadette, Jules, Charles, Bunnie, Antoine, Rotor, NICOLE, Mina, Ash, Espio, Charmy, Vector, Mighty, Ray, Julie-Su, Brendon, Cyrus, Evra and other Mobians that must've been residents of Knothole and some parts of Mobius!

I saw two tables one each side of the room. One contained food and drinks while the other contained wrapped gifts. Everyone was dressed up too! The females wore elegant dresses while most of the males were in suits. Sonic was standing in front of one of the left throne, and he stepped down from the mini platform as he began to walk towards me. He was dressed up too, only he was dressed as a king (litteraly). He wore a white coat of some kind that when down to his ankles, a green vest went over it, and he wore boots that were red and white at the shoe, but green with a yellow ring around the middle of it. He was also wearing a gold crown on his head. It was very similar to the one he wore in the comics, only there was a red jewel in the middle of it.

"Happy birthday, kiddo." he said as he hugged me.

"Aww gee...thanks dad...I forgot 'bout my birthday." I said as I hugged him back. He then held my hand as he led me towards the thrones. The Mobians moved out of the way so we could walk down the aisle. They looked like two groups on opposite sides of the room. Even with the part through the middle, it still looked like there was a lot of them. I saw a small red pillow sitting on a type of small table next to the right throne. On the pillow was a silver crown with an icy blue jewel in the middle of it. It looked like Sonic's crown, only it was skinnier and it had pointed ends instead of having diamond shapes on top of each end.

Sonic picked up the crown with gentleness before he placed it on my head. He adjusted it a little so it's go into my fur and stay in place, and he had to make sure it was straight and not crooked. Once I had my crown on, Sonic and I turned towards the Mobians, who had moved back into the middle of the room. All of their eyes were on us, and that made me feel very nervous...I mean, I know I'm a princess and all, but were they expecting me to say something? My prayers were answered when Sonic began to speak.

"We're here today not to just celebrate my daughter's birthday, but to also celebrate nearly sixteen years of peace! For too long we had to fight for survival against Dr. Robotnik! The recovery from the Great War was bad enough, but to have that evil man come into out lives, and kill us by turning us into emotionless, heartless robotic slaves was unbareable! Many families were torn apart, and many Mobians died those grusome years, and I know you all are tired of suffering! I even lost my wife and beloved Queen Sally...She meant the WORLD to me, and after she died, it was too much...But then what about my unborn child? Will I lose her too? But it was then when Dr. Kintobor told me that my child was able to survive and we had to do the impossible to save her! She was on the brink of death, but you all did all you could in your power to save her! And for that, I thank you, all of you! I never thought you all would be so loyal as to try and save my daughter's embyro...but you proved me wrong! And now, she's here, at home, safe and sound, where she's supposed to be! As my reign continues, I will ensure this peace, and make sure that we all live out the rest of our lives in happiness!!"

Loud cheers and applause rose into the entire room as the Mobians chanted "LONG LIVE THE KING!!" over and over again. I knew Sonic became king in an issue of the comics and in Sonic and the Black Knight, but who knew he had such leadership and could recite a speech so well? Sonic raised his hand to cease all of the noise in the room. After it became silent, he turned toward me and smiled.

"Dawn, don't you want to say a few words?" he asked. _Damn..._I'm not very good with speeches, hell, I'm not good at speaking in front of people, let alone hundreds of them! What could I even say? I've only been a princess and a Mobian for a short time! Still...I had to say _something..._but what..? I swallowed hard as Sonic stepped back, signaling that he was giving me the floor. I felt my hands and knees shaking, and my palms began to sweat a little. My ears folded back a little as I looked out at the crowd. I was nervous, but I knew these Mobians wanted to hear me speak, so I had to. I inhaled deeply again before I spoke.

"I may have not been a princess or a Mobian for very long, but I can feel your pain. Seeing those you care about taken away from you, and then seeing them basically die right in front of you...and then have to deal with this everyday of the year, and almost every five minutes, a Mobian is turned into a robotic slave! I never thought a world like this existed...The simple minded ones back on Earth only said that you all were mere fictional characters! But do they realize that they're using your tragic life stories for entertainment?! Do they not realize the pain you all endured for those many years?! How **_dare _**those beings laugh and mock us?! I may have just became princess, but I promise you all: I _WILL _ensure that this planet is safe from any harm!! I shall help my father protect this planet, and its people!!"

Once again, loud cheers and applause rose into the room; but it seemed louder this time. I felt so relieved that everyone liked my speech, and I was surprised on how well I was able to recite it. I felt Sonic's hand go on my shoulder soon afterwards. I looked up at him to see him smiling at me, but his smile looked wider than before. It was then when he gave me another tight hug. I hugged him back, of course.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo." he whispered.

"Thanks, dad." I whispered back. Once all of the cheering and applause was over with again, Sonic took the floor and spoke again.

"For now, let's enjoy the festivities. Please, enjoy yourselves!" The party really began then.

Sonic and I shook hands and greeted a lot of Mobians. Sonic even pointed out the ones who volunteered to carry my embryo. It was fun meeting the Mobians, and they seemed so nice...The Freedom Fighters and other characters I knew, along with my friends, stood in their own group near a corner. Sonic and I went over to him, and he introduced me to some of them that I haven't got to know yet. Chip seemed really happy to see me, since he flew and danced around me. He was so cute, but small. I couldn't help but to hug the little chihuahua. He didn't mind though; in fact, he hugged me back.

I met Shade next. She was very calm, and out of the battle suit of hers; even her head band was off. She wore a simple dark pink dress, and she put her dreadlocks in a ponytail for some reason. She seemed happy to meet me too, and fascinated by how I was able to survive in my mother's womb even though she died. She was even more amazed on how my embryo was transferred to a human, and how I changed from an anthro to a human during that time frame. Shade was nicer than I expected, but I guess the games and the comics didn't really show one's character all the way.

I met Rouge soon after. She was wearing a long flowing purple halter dress that exposed most of her back, but there was a type of necklace around her neck that had two strings tied around a hole at the chest of the dress. I could tell it went with it. I asked her how she was able to get Omega, out of all people--er--robots, to come. All she did was gave me a quick wink and said "I have my ways."

A while later after talking with most of the Sonic crew, Sonic instructed me to come back to the thrones since everyone was eager to give me their gifts. Without and hesitation, I went back to my dad and sat my seat on the throne next to him. After that, everyone got their gifts off of the table and stood in a sort of thick line. I was a little eager to see what everyone had gotten for me. Shadow wanted to be first it seems, since he was the first in line holding a rather large box wrapped with black and red wrapping paper (typical). He placed the box on my lap and took a step back.

"Hurry and open it." he said calmly.

"Why? It it going to suffocate or something?" I remarked as I untieed the ribbon. It was then when i noticed that Shadow's smile was on...the large side. Feeling even more excited, I ripped of the rest of the wrapping paper. The box was brown with...holes? I opened the top of the box slowly, only to have something small and furry pop up and lick my face.

"Awwww!! It's a puppy!!" I exclaimed as I hugged the small canine. It was a black puppy with white paws, muzzle, and the tip of it's tail was white. It had deep brown eyes, and it was just absolutely adorable! The little puppy's tail wagged like a fan as it tried to continue to lick my face. I had to move the box off of my lap because the puppy was a little large, and I couldn't keep it alone with the box on my lap at the same time.

"What are you going to name him?" Shadow asked.

"Well, I'm going to name him after you: Shadow." I replied smiling.

"W-why are you going to do that?"

"Because, you're my friend, that's why." There were a few "aww"s that rose from the crowd. Shadow's cheeks turned red a little as he looked towards the ground with his hands in his pockets. With my new puppy in my hands, I stood up from my throne and gave Shadow a hug. He was hesitant at first, but he hugged me back. I also had to try and keep Shadow (the puppy) from licking Shadow's (the Hedgehog) face. After all of that was done, Shadow stepped down from the platform to let the others give me their gifts.

Brendon, Cyrus, Rotor and Tails were next. Tails flew up to me holding a small package wrapped in yellow wrapping paper while the other three followed him.

"We all made this for you, Dawn." Tails said shyly. I smiled at the four of them before I took the package out of my hand and ripped off the paper. I opened the package, and inside was a silver utility belt of some kind. It was made out of metal, and there were two large holders on each side.

"It's a belt to help you whenever you're on a mission." Brendon explained.

"We made a weapon for you too. It's in the first holder. The other one's empty. You can store things like Warp Rings or other tools you may need." Rotor explained.

"Your weapon can only be summoned by you and you alone. If you wave your hand in front of the holder, it'll fly out and land in your hands. You can even call it you to when it gets knocked out of your hands in battle. It only reacts to the Chaos Energy your store in your body. Even if someone else touches it, they'll be giving a strong energy shock to make them release it." Cyrus explained.

"Thanks you guys." I said smiling. I really liked the belt. Maybe I could show it off when I'm training again. After those four, Antoine, Bunnie and Evra were next. Evra's gift was a charm bracelet that had the sentence "Best Friend Forever" embedded in it. I couldn't help but hug Evra...she was my best friend forever, after all. Bunnie's gift was a specialized brush made for hedgehogs. It'll groom my fur better than the one I had, but it'd also remove any lose, old or shedding quills that were still in my head. Antoine's gift was a box of freshly made sugar cookies that had birthday cakes on them as a design. As much as I wanted to eat them, Sonic forbid me to even take a bite until I ate actual food. That was going to be _very _difficult, considering that I love sweets, and I have a puppy that'd try to eat them. Sonic took them into his care to keep them safe; from me and Shadow (the puppy).

Rouge, Shade and Chip were next. Rouge's gift were sapphire errings. Typical Rouge...I knew her gift was going to involve a jewel. I had to admit, they were really pretty. Shade's gift was a large cat plush. She must've knew I loved animals, especially the stuffed animals. The only problem was that Shadow (the puppy) thought the plush was either a giant chew toy or an actual cat, 'cause he kept barking and trying to bite at it. Once again, Sonic made it his job to protect my gift. And Chip's gift was a collar and leash for Shadow (the puppy; and all your Shadow fangirls out there, get your mind out of the gutter). The collar was black and had a dark blue orb on it, similar to Chip's collar. He told me that he knew Shadow (the Hedgehog) was going to get me a dog, so he got the collar for me.

Cream and Cheese had made me chocolate cupcakes (with Vanilla's help, of course) that had chocolate frosting and pink sprinkles. Once again, Sonic had to take away the tasty treats so that I wouldn't eat them. Vanilla had crafted a little blue sweater for Shadow (the puppy). There was a little white star in the middle of it too. I couldn't wait to put it on him later.

Blaze and Silver were up. Blaze gave me a type of red stone that was warm to the touch and had a pulsating orange center. She said it contained a fire spirit, and she gave it to me so the spirit would protect me against any harmful spirits or enemies. She said that this stone, along with many others, are symbols of her kingdom. With something like this, I had to promise her I'd take care of it. Silver's gift was a pair of new boots. They looked just like the tennis shoes I always wore though. They were both great gifts.

Bernadette and Jules gave me a silver locket. They said I could put any picutre in there, and they said that the locket belonged to my great grandmother. They were able to polish and restore it to where it looked as good as new. I hugged my two grandparents, and they hugged me back. I knew whose picutre I was going to put in here first.

Charles gave me two rings that were similar to Shadow's (the Hedgehog) rings, only these were a paler gold color and they were flatter. He said that I could use these to store excess Chaos energy in them just in case of an emergancy. These could be useful too, huh?

Mina and Ash gave me a new guitar. They said I could practice with them and their band at any time if I wanted, which was absolutely awesome! I always wanted a guitar, but my surrogate parents never got me one. I was very grateful to the both of them.

Amy's gift were three new outifts--actually, two of them were outfits while the last one was a pair of new pajamas. The first outfit was a red and black halter top, black jeans with a red rose design going up one of the legs, and long red and black fingerless gloves to match, along with a pair of black and red boots. The other outfit was was metalic sea green top that was similar to my dark blue one, and aqua blue knee-high shorts. And the pajama set was a sea green colored set. The top was kind of baggy, and the part where the neck was supposed to be was stretched out to where that part of the shirt exposed my shoulders. There was a small purple flower on the middle of it where the chest is, and there were the pants to match.

Knuckles' gift was just a pair of new gloves. He said he didn't know what else to get me since he's not into shopping. I said it was ok, since I need a new pair of gloves anyway. They were icy blue fingerless gloves, but they had white rings on the fingers. I liked the gift either way.

Finally, it was the Chaotix's turn. They had to put all of their money together to get me a sort of ninja suit that was made for when I was on a stealth mission. The suit kind of reminded me of Sonic's ninja suit in an issue of the comics, combined with Rouge's stealth suit from Sonic X. The only difference was that mine was the color of Shade's combat suit, and it had icy blue markings on it. Julie-Su had her own gift for me. She got a bed and a few toys for Shadow (the puppy). I loved both of their gifts. It just kind of made me feel guilty because the Chaotix had to put all of their money together to get my gift. I'll have to repay them somehow.

Omega and NICOLE didn't get me a gift, but I really didn't care. Just them being here was enough for me. After they were all done, the rest of the Mobians gave me their gifts. All they gave me were more clothes, accessories, jewelery, plushies, and furniture for my room. After I received all of my gifts, it was time for a little dance. Well, it was more like a ballroom dance you see in fairytales and such; not that kind of dance.

Everyone began to pair up with a partner as soft music began to play. Brendon was with Evra (of course), Knuckles paired up with Julie-Su, Mina and Ash paired up, Antoine and Bunnie paired up, Rouge and Brendon paired up (don't ask) and so on. Most of them, along with other Mobians didn't even pair up. Instead, they watched from the sidelines while some of them ate some of the snacks. I sat on my throne next to Sonic, holding Shadow (the puppy) in my arms. The puppy had finally calmed down, and he sat on my lap and he looked on at the party.

A little while into the dance, I saw Shadow make his way over by staying on the sidelines. His hands were in his pockets, but he had a nervous look on his face. By now, he was at the thrones, but he stayed off of the platform.

"Hey Shadow. Something wrong?" I asked.

"No. I just wanted to...ask you something." he replied quietly.

"Well, go ahead."

"Um...do you...want to dance with me?" Shadow was looking down at the floor as he stroked some of his quills a bit. I was a bit surprised by his question...I mean, I don't think Shadow would want to do something like this; unless he was forced to. Plus, he actually _asked. _It was a bit...strange. I looked over at Sonic to get his approval. He smiled at me before he mouthed the words "Go on". Smiling a little I got up from my seat and gave Shadow (the puppy) to Sonic so he could look after him while I was gone.

Shadow held my hand as he led me towards the dance floor. I had to admit, I was nervous. I never liked dancing, nor did I know how. I wonder if Shadow knew how?

"Nervous?" he asked.

"A bit." I replied, trying to sound as calm as I could.

"You ever danced before?"

"Have you?"

"Well, I can say I have now." We both found a space on the floor where we could dance and not bump into anyone. Shadow held my right hand, and the wrapped his arm around my waist. I held onto his hand, and I placed my hand on his shoulder. We started to dance slowly to the music soon after. You know, there's something about dancing with a Sonic character, especially one like this, that puts an indescribable feeling in you. And who knew Shadow was so...gentle? Still, I don't know if i should take advantage of this moment or...I don't know.

"Hey, I hate to ask, but why are you doing this?" I asked a few minutes into the dance.

"Remember when you said you owed me one back in White Jungle?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"Well, you're paying me back by agreeing to this."

"Heh, I see now."

"Now, let me ask you something."

"What?"

"Why'd you name the dog after me?"

"Well...I feel like people don't give you enough credit. I mean, the only thing they seemed to remember and see you as is just this destructive monster. I don't see that when I look at you. In fact, I see a person who's...hurting on the inside." Shadow then looked me dead in the eye. His eyes looked...different. They were...lighter than before. Shadow's eyes were always dark, but now there was a glow coming into them. I felt his arm tighten around my waist, thus bringing me closer to him. I felt my face go a little warm, but I tried not the blush...I didn't want Shadow to see that. But...why was I blushing anyway?

"Do you really mean that..?" he whispered.

"Of course I do. I care about you, Shadow. Many others don't see the good side of you, only the bad side. I see your good side, and I can tell you're miserable on the inside." I replied. Shadow smiled again before he twirled me around. I had to admit, even though I don't like dancing, I was having fun.

"Did you know Sonic and I are friends?" Shadow asked as he brung me back to him.

"Really? I thought you were rivals?"

"We were, at a time. But after he helped me find out my past, as well as my purpose, we became friends. We still have our rivalry, but it's a friendly rivalry now."

"Oh."

"By the way...I've wanted to tell you that...you look...um...pretty, in the dress."

"Really..?"

"Mhmm. You look how a princess should look: ravishing."

"Ok, now I know you're mking that up."

"No! I mean it, silly!" I let out a small giggle as I lowered my head. I heard Shadow let out a small chuckle as we continued to dance. It was quiet for a moment, until we saw a quick flash of light from behind us. We both turned around to see Brendon and Evra side by side, but Evra was holding up a digital camera. _Did she just take a picutre?_

"Got it!" Evra squealed as she lowered the camera and examined the photo on the small screen on the back of the camera.

"You took a picutre?" Shadow asked.

"Yup! Now you two will be able to remember this day for the rest of your lives!" Brendon replied grinning.

"If I wasn't in the dress or in front of all these people, you two would be dead right now." I remarked. Evra stuck out her tongue at me before Brendon pulled her away and towards the refreshment table. The rest of the party went by smoothly. Shadow and I kept talking a lot, I ate some of the food at the refreshment table (and the food was delicious!), and I just had a lot of fun. The only bad thing was that, we had to chase Shadow (the puppy) a lot since he seemed really excited about the whole thing and he kept running away from Sonic trying to investigate the guests.

Sonic, Shadow, Cyrus and I had the chase the hyperactive puppy around the throne room. Shadow (the Hedgehog) looked like he was having fun though. I kept laughing everytime he or one of us fell or failed to catch the puppy. A few Mobian kids who were with their parents decided to help out with the chase, but they couldn't do much either. They had fun doing it though. After a few minutes of chasing (and after we were all tired of running), Shadow (the Hedgehog) finally got the idea of whistling to call the puppy over. When Shadow (the puppy) heard the whistle, he ran back over to us without any hesitation. However, instead of running to the one who whistled, he ran to me and jumped into my arms.

After that was all said and done, the party was finally over. Most of the guests went home while others volunteered to stay and help clean up the mess. Sonic, Shadow and I decided that it'd be best if we let them and the Freedom Fighters, along with my friends, take care of all of that. The three of us only had to worry about taking all of the gifts back to my room. This, however wasn't a problem for Shadow and I. All we had to do was Chaos Control the gifts (as well as Sonic and my puppy) into my room, and we'd be finished in a snap. As you guessed, we did it. I'd have to worry about putting them away later.

Shadow bid us goodnight before he Chaos Controlled back into the throne room to help the others clean up. I wanted to help, but Sonic insisted that everyone had it under control. Besides, he didn't want my dress to get dirty, and he had to give me his gift.

Sonic and I were back in the palor. I was sitting on the couch with Shadow (the puppy) while Sonic disappeared into his bedroom to get his gift. He came back a little while later holding what looked like a small flat box in his hands wrapped in emerald green wrapping paper. He gave it to me as he sat down, and I immediately ripped off the wrapping paper.

"It's a scrapbook." I said removing the last bit of paper and examining the gift.

"Open it." Sonic said quietly. A bit confused, but curious, I opened the pink colored book to see two pictures on the very first page. The first picture contained Sonic holding a baby wrapped in a pink cloth and feeding it a bottle. The problem was...the baby was _me! _The picture below it showed another picture of Sonic sitting on the floor on top of a blanket holding a baby me playing with a few toys.

"Dad...how..?"

"They were taken shortly after you were born..." Sonic replied quickly.

"But I thought you said I was born a human, and you couldn't be there for me when I was born?" I asked.

"...I lied..."

"Why..?"

"I-I was scared, ok?? I didn't know if you'd accept me as your father if you found out, so I kept it secret. I wanted to wait until the right time..."

"So I was born a hedgehog?"

"Yes..." I started looking through the other pcitures. All of them showed only me and Sonic in a picture together. The pictures themselves acted as a timeline, showing me as I aged from a few months to a year. We were either inside playing or outside. Some of them showed us making funny faces at the camera, while one showed Sonic holding tightly to a two year old me sleeping in his arms. And then I came across that picture...

There were three pictures on the third or fourth page that showed a eight or nine year old me sitting on top of a grassy field under a tree next to Sonic with his hand on my head. We were both smiling and happy. Another one next to it showed myself on Sonic's back as he ran down the hill while we both looked to be laughing in the picture. The the last one under the two showed Sonic and I at the base of the hill. Sonic was lying on his back while I rested on his chest. I was pointing up at the sky, while Sonic smiled and had his hand on my back. It was the same as my vision from before. My ears folded back the more I looked at the pictures...

"Dad...how were you able to take these pictures..?" I asked silently.

"After you were born, I decided to spend a little time with you and at least perserve some memories before...I gave you up..."

"But why did you give me up if I was born into a hedgehog?! You could've brung me back to Mobius and we'd be a family..."

"I was afraid! When you were born, we were still at war with Eggman! And with all of us away on missions, we couldn't just leave you in the care of a babysitter! If I left you alone, Eggman would surely know you were defensless and would come for you! I knew by the time I found out what was going to and tried to save you, it'd be too late! I already lost your mother, and I didn't want to lose you either! You were the only thing that kept me going, Dawn...If I lost you...I'd go insane..."

"So...if all of this happened...why don't I have any memories of any of this?"

"Before we had to turn you into a human, we had to erase any memories of us bonding. We thought that if we did this, it'd cause you less pain and stress when they took you away..." As I continued to look through the pictures, tears began to form into my eyes...Just to know that Sonic was there for me when I was born, as well as to care so much about me as to give me up for my own protection...I felt...touched. And now I also knew now that the vision I had when I mediated was actually a memory...

Tears began to roll down my face as I cried silently. Soon after, I felt Sonic's arms go around me as he pulled me closer to him to give me tight hug.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..! I never meant to cause you any pain...nor did I mean to hurt you!" Sonic cried as tears began to run down his face as well. The only thing I could do was bury my head into Sonic's chest as I sobbed. I heard Sonic let out silent sobs too, and he rocked me as if I was a baby. I wanted to say something, but I was so overhwelmed that I couldn't speak. I heard Shadow (the puppy) whine as he climbed into my lap and nuzzle my hand. All I could do was pet him to try to calm him down.

"D-dad...?" I choked out.

"Y-yes sweetie..?"

"I'm n-not mad at you...I was j-just so glad that...you were there for me when I was born...All I wanted...all I ever wanted was to be with you..."

"You don't think I wanted to be with you..? Do you know how much suffering I went through after you were taken away..? I couldn't bare it...The only thing that gave me a little relief was that I knew you were alive..."

"...Did you cry?"

"A lot of times, yes...But at least you didn't. I didn't want to see my little girl cry..." Sonic wiped away some of my tears as he looked down at me. Sonic's face was covered with dried and new tears. I didn't want to see him like that...I couldn't see my blue hero break down and cry the way he did just now...He looked so...hurt...I buried my head into Sonic's chest again, feeling a little soothed as he rubbed my back softly with one hand, and the other was placed on top of my head. I believe now's the time to tell Sonic how I really felt. I think it's about time he should hear this...

"I love you, daddy..." I said silently.

* * *

**_Sonic's POV_**

Those words...those four little words...I've been wanting to hear them for a very, _very _long time...It let me know that I had my little girl back...finally...I felt more tears form into my eyes. Soon, they rolled down my cheeks. I was so overjoyed...For so long, I was seperated from my only child; my only salvation. The only time I heard her say those words was when she was nine years old. It was the day before we were separated when she said it...

~*~*~*~*~

_Dawn was running around the house holding one of her plushies as I chased her. She was so energetic...She reminded me of myself when I was a young boy. Always had to be playing or running around at all times. You'd only get some relief when she's asleep. She squealed and giggled when she felt my hands go around her waist as I lifted her into my arms. She was able to turn around ad give me another hug, as well as a kiss to my cheek._

_"I love you daddy!" she exclaimed as she continued to hug me._

_"I love you too, sweetheart." I replied as I hugged my child._

~*~*~*~*~

I held Dawn close to my body as I scratched behind her ears a little. I could tell she was calming down a little. I looked down at her before I gave her another soft kiss to her forehead.

"I love you too, kiddo..."

* * *

**End Notes: **Another father and daughter bonding moment. Doesn't it just warm your heart? ^^

Anyways, this chapter celebreates Dawn's Sweet Sixteen!

Reveiws people! I wuv your reveiws (but don't be mean)!

I hope the next chapter isn't delayed, so I'll start working on it right away if I can...And sorry if there's some typos in it!

Thanks for reading! See ya later, and God bless!


	19. Opposites Attract

**_Chapter Eighteen_**

**_Monday_**

**_10:23am_**

**_G.U.N HQ Building_**

**_Shadow's POV_**

That girl...Sonic's daughter...I can't get her out of my mind for some reason. Everything that happened yesterday seemed to have imprinted in my mind for whatever reason. But when I danced with her...that moment in itself kept going through my mind. I don't know why...but, I just liked it a lot...She looked so beautiful yesterday, but her eyes captivated me the most. This was very strange to me...I'm usually not attracted to a female, but why this one? Actually...the truth is, I've been attracted to her ever since I saw her in that classroom back on Earth. But, why do I feel this way?

I knew she was different when I saw her but...why was I feeling this way? Every day, every hour, I see that girl in my mind...I saw her as a friend, which is surprising for me. But I promised myself I wouldn't bond with someone, let alone let them get close to me. I was afraid...I was afraid I might lose her too like Maria...I don't want the ones I care for to be taken away from me again...I don't know if I'll be able to bare it a second time. Even so...with all these emotions going through me right now...is there a possibility that I might...love her...?

No. Stop thinking that way, Shadow. I don't have feelings for her...at least, I don't think I do. Even if I did, she wouldn't feel the same way about me. So, all in all, I should probably spare myself of getting my heart stepped on. Besides...am I ready for that kind of thing? I better stop thinking about this. I'll have to keep my mind busy for the time being...

HQ was pretty quiet today. I saw a few troops walking around here and there, but over all, it was pretty peaceful. Rouge was nowhere to be found; no surprise there. I walked through the empty corridors, my arms crossed. I hate to say it, but it'd be nice if I could go on a mission...Thinking about Dawn was starting to take its toll on me. What was it about that hedgehog? She's sweet, innocent, but cocky and somewhat energetic like her father...And there's something about that sparkle that comes to her eyes whenever she's happy that makes her...cute...

"Someone's obviously lost in thought." I turned to see a familiar white bat standing in front of a door. Her arms were crossed, and she was leaning against the doorframe a little. Her voice was low, and had a hint of that seductive nature of hers in it as she spoke. I released a silent "hmph" as I kept walking down the somewhat dark corridor. I hear a breif flap of wings as I saw Rouge approach me from the side. He was about two or three feet from the ground as she flew beside me.

"What's the matter, Shadow? Is there something on your mind, again?" she asked, a hint of taunting and teasing in her voice.

"That's none of your concern. Besides, shouldn't you be worrying about how you're going to steal the Master Emerald from Knuckles again?" I shot back.

"Hmmph! I was just trying to show a little concern for a friend."

"And since when did we become friends?" Rouge then flew in front of me and landed on her feet. Her hands were on her fists, and she had a somewhat stern look on her face. Seeing that she was blocking my path, and was going to stop at nothing until she gets me to talk like a puppet, I stooped walking and crossed my arms, waiting to hear what ever she was about to say.

"Look, I don't care what you say, you're going to talk to me, whether you like it or not." she said.

"Hmph. Fine." I replied calmly.

"Now, we'll start from the beginning; what are you thinking about?" _I can't tell her...If I do, she'll either tell Dawn or will never let me live this down..._"Well? Aren't you going to tell me?" she asked again.

"If I tell you, you'll have to promise me you'll say **nothing **about it to **no one. **Understood?"

"And what if I do?"

"Then I'll clip or wings. Or worse." Rouge heaved out a sigh before she corssed her arms and looked at me again.

"Well, lay it on me." she said.

"I'm not sure, nor do I want to say it, but I think I might be developing feelings for Dawn..." I said sighing. I waited for Rouge to start boasting about the whole thing. But surprisingly, she was quiet. It was then when I noticed her eyes were wider and glowing with excitment. There was also a somewhat large smile spread across her face.

"Well, well, _well, _Shadow! I never knew you had it in you!" she exclaimed, her tail wiggling a little.

"I knew I should've kept my mouth shut." I growled before I walked past her and tried to walk away as fast as I could. It was only a split second laer when I heard her wings flap again, and I saw her flying by my side again. That same sneaky smile was still on her face.

"So tell me, Shadow; when did it happen?" she asked, flying ahead of me a little.

"As I said before; I'm not sure if my feelings for her are true or not." I snapped.

"I knew there was something between you and her when I saw you two dancing!"

"I was just being respectful. She _is _the princess, after all."

"Well, let me ask you this: Do you find her attractive?"

"Of course I do. The dress she had on at the party made her...well, pretty. Bunnie and Evra really outdone themselves with it. And she isn't a typical girl you'd expect her to be. I never seen a girl who was so eager to train. On top of that, she had a few fighting skills. Still, she needs tutoring. But can you believe that we have the same ability as to use Chaos Control? I mean, Sonic and Silver can use it too, but she uses it more frequently like I do. I was able how to teach her Chaos Spear too. She likes to race, which is to be expected since she's Sonic's daugther. But she almost, _almost _beat me in a race in Knothole. But the thing that draws me to her the most are...those eyes...Those icy blue eyes that seem to sparkle whenever she's happy or excited...and they remind me of...Maria..."

Rouge was very interested with what I was saying. But...I never talked about anyone, especially a girl, like this. Maybe...maybe I do--no, that's impossible. I'll have to stop this...I quickly stopped myself and closed my mouth. I heard Rouge let out a small chuckle as she landed in front of me again.

"There's no mistaking it; you love her, don't you?" she asked. I said nothing; I only glared at her. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"You know nothing." I sneered before I marched off. Rouge stayed in place, finally. But I knew she wouldn't leave me alone. I decided it'd be best if I leave the building for the time being. Maybe a little stroll through Station Square would calm my nerves. If the Commander needs me for a mission, he can contact me. I don't need to stay here all day in hopes of getting a mission from the old man.

Soon, I Chaos Controlled out of the building and onto the main streets. I started to walk around aimlessly, enjoying the day, since it's something I don't usually do. There were a lot more clouds in the sky today, but the sun was still out and the sky was still blue, so that was all that mattered. There were a lot of Mobians on the streets too. They were either shopping, eating at a diner, or just walking around the plaza talking, laughing and having fun.

I decided to walk around the plaza a bit and just look into the windows of the shops. There were many clothing stores, restaurants, jewelry stores (Rouge would come here everyday) and other stores that I didn't care much about. As I walked, a few girls kept giving me a few looks. Typical. For some reason, girls go nuts over me. Reminds me of when Dawn told me that I had a lot of "fangirls" back on Earth. I don't understand why, really. Why did girls found me attractive? Hmph. I better not worry about it.

A couple of more minutes into my walk, I happened to come arcoss a flower shop. Not really into this sort of thing, but I just looked into the window just because I could. It was then when a bouqet of blue roses caught my eye. They were right next to some lilacs and daisies just into the shop. They were gorgeous. Plus, they were in full bloom. _The color of the flower...they almost match Dawn's eyes...She'd love them, no doubt. _Suddenly, a vision of a very familiar snowy hedgehog popped into my mind. I was standing with her in a field somewhere. The roses were behind my back, and then I showed them to her.

A large smile spread across her face as soon as she saw the roses. She let out a quick gasp as her tail began to wag happily. Her eyes sparkled in the bright sunlight before she took the roses into her soft, gentle hands. She lifted the flowers up to her nose as she breathed in their sweet scent. That's when she looked at me and embraced me in a tight hug. That's what I wanted her to do, and I hugged her back.

_"Shadow...thank you. They're beautiful..." _I heard her say.

_"They fit you so well," _I said _"and they go with your eyes perfectly." _Soon after, Dawn's arms went back around my neck as she embraced me in another hug. Only this time, she gave me a kiss on my cheek. Feeling her tender lips on my bare skinned muzzle made my cheeks go warm. They turned from tan to bright red as I blushed. I held her tightly as I nuzzled her, hoping that this moment would never end.

Unfortunately, I was snapped out of my small fantasy as I heard the shop's bell rang as another satisfied costumer stepped out. It was a male red fox, holding a bouqet of sunflowers, daisies, and lavenders wrapped in red paper with little hearts on the paper. He waved to the shopkeeper before he closed the door and went on his way. My mind was officially made up. I _had _to get those roses!

Being fueled by seeing my snowy hedgehog friend's face after she sees the roses, I bravely stepped into the shop. My nose immediately picked up the pleasant and sweet smell of multiple breeds of flowers. The shopkeeper was a female pink bat. _Why is it always a bat? _She smiled at me as she came from behind the counter and approached me.

"Hello, Shadow. I didn't expect to see you here." she greeted smiling.

"I didn't expect to see myself in here either. But, here I am." I replied calmly.

"Anything I can help you with, today?" she asked.

"Actually, yes. I'd like to purchase those roses over there."

"The blue ones?"

"Yes." The bat walked over to the large bouqet and picked out a dozen of roses exactly. She carried the flowers over to the counter and wrapped them up in pure white wrapping paper. _That's very fitting..._After she was done, she placed the bouquet on the glass counter as I walked up to it.

"Would you like a card to go with it?" she asked. _A card, hm? That might be useful..._

"Yes. What did you have in mind?"

"We have many varieties. Each of them for every occasion, of course." she pointed over to a large rack attached to a wall on the other side of the door. There were a lot of cards on them, each of them a different color and shape. "Take your time and pick on out. No rush!" I heard the bat say. I simply nodded before I walked over to the rack and examined each card.

Each card was under a category. The ones that specialized on birthdays were the first ones on the rack, followed by holidays, weddings, love cards, and just friendly cards. Each card was a different shape, as well as a color. A few cards were in the shape of a heart, few others in the shape of a star, and a few in the shapes of animals like cats, dogs or birds. It was then when I came across a certain card that had two black and white cats on them. The black cat was rubbing its head on the other lovingly, and the white cat was meowing with delight. The two cats were sitting on a pillow in front of a fireplace. _It might look too romantic, but it fits..._

I took the card off of the rack and walked back to the counter. The bat smiled again as I walked up to her.

"Found anything you liked?" she asked.

"Surprisingly, yes." I replied as I placed the card on the glass counter. The bat rung up the roses and the card, and I took out my wallet, prepared to pay for it.

"That'll be twenty-one Rings please," she said "These must be for someone special."

"You can say that." I said as I took out the amount of Rings I needed to pay for all of this stuff. "By the way, do you have a pen?"

"Yes I do. Why?"

"I need the write something in the card."

"Oh, of course!" The bat handed me a pen out of her pocket on her shirt. I took it, as well as the card, and wrote my message into the folded piece of paper. Once I was done, I gave the pen back to the girl and she gave me the roses.

"Have a nice day!" she said cheerfully. I nodded before I walked out of the shop and back onto the plaza. _She'll love these...I know it. _I found myself smiling as I walked down the sidewalk. Just the sight of Dawn's face after she sees the gift made me feel...happy. Now I'll just have to worry about getting these to her. I continued to walk down the plaza, and yet another shop happened to catch my eye.

This time, it was a candy shop, but this shop was selling mostly chocolate. _Dawn loves sweets...I guess a little candy wouldn't hurt either. _With the roses still in my hand and the card tucked into the roses, I went into the candy store. Once again, I was ambused with the smell of chocolate and other candy. Just the smell of this place made my stomach growl a little and my mouth water. I knew just what to get her...

~*~*~*~

With my gifts in hand, I made my way towards Knothole's castle. If I'm right, Dawn should be still inside, and won't come out to be with her friend in another hour or so, or porably less. Maybe knocking on the door would be better instead of teleporting in there like I always do...But then again, maybe I should. I didn't want people of the village to see me like this...

I could sense the girl's positive energy just inside the walls of the castle. _She's either in the parlor or her room..._Still, I couldn't sense Sonic's energy inside the building. He must've left for something...At least he wouldn't be there to see me do this. Feeling more confident, I Chaos Controlled into the building, but I appeared in one of the hallways that had the rooms in it. Her energy was very strong now, but it wasn't near. She _had _to be in the parlor then. Enhaling some air, I walked steadily down the hallway and into the parlor. I may have looked confident, but deepd down, I was nervous. What'll she think of me after she sees this?

Before I knew it, I was almost near the parlor. I saw Dawn sitting on the couch watching the television, with the puppy asleep next to her. She was flipping through the channels, with a bored look on her face. She was out of her dress, and now in her regular clothes (and in her favorite outfit). I swallowed hard before I took only three steps towards her; but even then, I was still far away. I pretended to clear my throat to get her attention. Her ears turned toward me to the sound, and she soon looked over at me and smiled. I was able to put the gifts behind my back before she was able to see me or them.

"Hey you!" she greeted "What'cha doin' here?"

"I just stopped by for a visit," I replied calmly as she walked over to me "Where's your father?"

"He just left for HQ. He wanted to check on things."

"I see. Anyways, I um...I bought you something."

"Bought me something? Shadow, my birthday was yesterday."

"I know but...I couldn't help but to get these for you." I then pulled the gifts from behind my back, and immediately, Dawn's eyes widened as she let out a gasp. The roses caught her attention first, and she took them out of my hands. She enhaled the smell of the roses, and her tail began to wag with happiness, as well as satisfation.

"Oh...they're gorgeous! How'd you know I love roses?" she asked.

"Well, I just thought they'd go with your eyes well, so I got them." I replied. She was about to to embrace me in a hug, but stopped after she saw the box of chocolate I had in my other hand.

"Is that for me, too?" she asked.

"Of course." I replied as I gave her the sweets. She set the roses down on the coffe table before she took the box of treats. She opened the box to be greeted the rounded pieces of chocolate. She took one and put it in her mouth, and her tail began to wag even faster as she ate the bite-sized sweet.

"They're truffles!! I LOVE truffles!!" she exclaimed. With the box of sweets still in her hand, Dawn finally embraced me in a hug. I hugged her back, of course, and I realized that this was going along like my vision. _If only I got that kiss..._With her gifts in her hand, Dawn walked back over to the couch and sat down. I followed her, and I sat next to her, on the opposite side of Shadow (the dog).

"You like them?" I asked.

"Of course I do! They're great...thank you so much..." she replied. I saw that sparkle in her eyes again, and I couldn't help but to smile. She kept fiddling with the roses a bit, but that's when she saw the card sticking out from the bouquet. She held the piece of paper as she pulled it out of the flowers. She quickly smiled when she saw the picture on the front of the card. She opened it, and read the message out loud.

"'Roses are red, but in this case blue; Sugar is sweet, but the sweetest of them all is you'..." She then wrapped her arms around my neck, card in hand, and gave me another tight hug. "That was so thoughtful of you...and I'm not the kind of person who's into this kind of thing either." she said.

"I'm not either but...but I couldn't stop thinking about you." I replied, hugging her back. _Kiss me, dammit!_

"I need to repay you; I _have _to...But, I don't know what to give you..."

"You can, um...you can pay me back by...giving me a kiss..." I said, lowering my head a little since I felt myself blushing.

"O-oh...well...I-I can do that..." I heard Dawn say shakily. Surprised, I looked up at her to see that she was blushing as well. _Does she...? Ok, you know what? Screw it..._I wrapped my arms around Dawn's waist and brought her body close to mine. I could tell she was startled by my actions, so I used that to my advantage. Without any hesitation, I pressed my lips against hers, and kissed her. I didn't care anymore. I pressed my lips against hers as hard, and as long as I could. I thought she would've struggled, but she didn't. Instead, I felt her arms go around my neck, and she kissed me back! This probably has to be...the best day of my life.

It felt like an eternity to me, and probably Dawn too, before I finally broke the kiss. I looked at her dead in the eye as I panted a little. I felt hot, and I knew I was blushing, but I didn't care. Dawn was blushing too, and her cheeks were as red as my stripes.

"Sh-Shadow...do you...?" she started.

"Always. Since the day I met you," I replied quickly "but the question is, do you feel the same way about me?"

"Y-yes...but I didn't think you'd feel this way; especially towards a girl." _It's like she can read me like a book. _

"But you're a _different _girl, and that's why I like you." Dawn smiled before she hugged me again, only her embrace was softer than before. I hugged her back, feeling something I thought I'd never feel again; love. I hoped this moment would never end...I just wanted to be with her.

"Hey...Shadow? I have to go soon...Evra and the others want me to hang with them," Dawn said, releasing the hug "Oh wait! You can come with us, right?"

"I wish I could join you, but sadly, I must be on my way as well. I'm a G.U.N agent, after all," I replied "We'll spend time together some other time." Dawn's expression saddened a bit, but we both knew that we'd have to wait. Before leaving, I gave her a soft reassuring kiss to her cheek.

"I'll see you later, ok?" I said.

"Alright..." I kissed her again before I backed away from her and teleported. This time, I appeared just outside the castle. I decided to walk back to G.U.N's HQ today. As I walked out of Knothole and towards Central City, I felt a warmness in my heart. The image of my snowy friend entered my mind again, but I let them stay this time. For once, I could finally walk outside with a smile on my face, because I knew I finally had someone who cares for me.

* * *

**End Notes: **A chapter that's from Shadow's point of veiw! I hope you all like it, even with the sudden pairing...But, you know what, I had to break the ice sooner or later, right?

Me want reveiws! Reveiws make me happy, so keep 'em comin'!

Hopefully the next chapter won't be delayed, but I'll try to work on it and get it up as soon as possible if I can.

Thanks for reading! Se you next time, and God bless!! ^^


	20. Soul Tone

**_Chapter Nineteen_**

**_Thursday_**

**_4:37pm_**

**_Central City_**

It's been at least two weeks now; possibly more. I'm not sure...All I know is that some time has past. We haven't heard anything from Scourge or Dr. Finitevus; things were pretty peaceful. Sonic and I have been bonding a lot like father and child. Shadow (the puppy) had grown a little. He's a little bigger from when I first got him, and he's just as hyperactive and playful as he'll ever be. And Shadow and I...well, let's just say we've been getting to know each other more.

I haven't really told anyone about me and Shadow's relationship, yet. Cyrus and Evra seem to know what's going on, but they haven't said anything about it yet. Sonic, I'm not sure. But he has gave me some looks whenever Shadow came over and asked me to go with him. Who knows? He probably already knew, but he'd never tell me.

Anyways, it was a pretty normal day. Shadow (the puppy) was taking his daily nap in my room, Sonic was out at HQ, and I was wandering around the village, with nothing to do. I would hang out with my friends, but Brendon's helping Tails with his plane, Cyrus was still practicing how to fly (since he's still a little uncomfortable with the whole thing), and Evra was out with Bunnie shopping. Everyone was basically busy. _I wonder..._

I pulled out my Chaos Emerald and Chaos Controlled to one place; G.U.N Headquarters. I stood outside the gray metal and bricked building, gazing up at it. I really didn't want to go in here, plus I had a possibility of being kicked out by the Commander. But...I wanted to see Shadow.

Inhaling deeply, I marched over to the gloomy like building. I was surprised that there weren't any guards posted outside the door; but, then again, I could understand why. Nothing's happened for almost a month. Everyone needed a break. I was about to walk towards the door when I felt something go around my waist. My quills hardened defensively for a quick second before I looked down to see ungloved hands and arms covered in black and red striped fur. I immediately knew who it was.

"I didn't expect you to be out here." I said.

"I didn't expect to see you here either," Shadow said "what're you doing here? I thought you hated G.U.N?"

"I don't really hate them. I _dislike _them. There's a difference." I turned around and wrapped my arms around Shadow's neck, giving him a hug. Shadow repaid me by giving me a somewhat passionate kiss on my lips. He smiled at me before he nuzzled me a bit.

"I missed you." he whispered.

"But we saw each other the whole day yesterday." I said.

"I know. But it felt like years to me." Shadow held my hand before he led me away from G.U.N's building. I was confused a little, but I thought nothing of it. Besides, I didn't want to go in there anyway. We started to walk towards Station Square. We had a long way to walk since Station Square is a few miles away from headquarters. G.U.N Headquarters was just on the outskirts of Central City, so it was going to be a while.

I didn't mind though. I just wanted to be with Shadow, so I was fine either way. We deided to take a shortcut by cuttig into a forest. You know, when you think about it, it's strange. Out of all people, Shadow, _Shadow _the Hedgehog likes _me! _Why me? There were a lot of things I was unsure of. One of them is how everyone would react if they fond out Shadow and I are...well, dating. Would they accept it or reject it?

But what really worried me was Scourge. He was on my heels too, and he _hates _Shadow. So, what'll happen if he finds this out? Will he kill Shadow, or kill us both? I really hoped nothing bad happened...However, I haven't heard from GreenBean or Finitevus for a while now...He probably gave up, but deep down, I knew that wasn't the case. So, why not take advantage of this?

As we walked, I noticed that Shadow kept me close to him at all times. He wasn't holding my hand anymore. Instead, he had his arm around my waist, and everytime I'd stray away from him for just a moment, he pull me back towards him quickly. Was this normal? I mean, I know a guy's protect of his girl but...This is my first time experiencing something like this, so I can't help but to wonder. But there was that other part of me that was excited. I mean, to be in a relationship...I was thrilled.

The forest was fairly quiet. The only thing that I could hear were the birds chirping in the canopies and Shadow and I talking. Back on Earth, a lot of people saw Shadow as this emo heartless hedgehog. But in reality, he's not. In fact, deep down, he's nothing but a big softy (to me). I believe he just wanted someone to love him, or he was just really lonely. He never smiled before, but now he smiles whenever I'm around. I thought it was cute.

It was only a few more minutes into our walk when Shadow suddenly grabbed both of my arms and pushed me against a nearby tree. He pinned my arms against its trunk before he kissed me deeply. I didn't know what to think about it, but I kissed him back regardless. A while later, the kiss was broken, and Shadow looked into my eyes. I looked into his eyes as well, and I had to keep myself from blushing. Something like this wouldn't affect me. I could've pushed him off easily, but something prevented me from doing so. For some reason, my knees felt weak, and it felt like my whole body went numb.

"Don't think that I've softened up because I'm with you." Shadow said in a very low and a little seductive voice.

"Who said you had be to soft?" I remarked, trying to get the nervousness out of my voice. Shadow released a small chuckle before he kissed me again. This was more soft and affectionate than the one before.

"Hey, Shadow? Can I ask you something?" I asked after our little make-out session was over.

"What is it?"

"Well...why did you choose to be with me out of all people? What is it that attracts you to me so? I can't help but to wonder..."

"You just remind me of someone very special to me. I'm pretty sure you know who that person is. The point is, I'm attracted to you because I can sense an aura about you that I could feel in Maria. After I lost her, I was crushed. And I vowed to never bond with anyone out of fear of losing them. Since then, I've been miserable...I thought I was meant to suffer for as long as I lived my immortal life...And then, you came along. I know this is strange coming from me but, you were the one who pulled me back into the light. You were the one who allowed me to feel loved again. You're basically the only thing I have left now, and I'm going to hold on to you forever if I can."

"Shadow..."

"Now I have a question for you, Dawn."

"Wha...?"

"Out of all people, why did you chose to be with _me?" _

"Shadow, I've always been attracted to you, fictional character or not. I mean, I always knew you were suffering on the inside. But everyone basically gave up on you. But not me. In fact,I made a vow of my own. After I found out who you really were on Earth, I made myself a silent promise: I promised that no matter what the cost was, I would find a way to get close enough to you, and release you from your eternal suffering. I didn't want to fail, I wanted to try. I wanted to give you that last bit of hope that you lost! But I never thought that I'd save you this way..."

Shadow beamed before he embraced me in a rather tight hug. I smiled before I hugged him back. There was a sort of warmness going through my body. I wasn't really sure what it was, but then again, I knew why I was feeling this way. I was just glad I was able to help the hedgie...I could tell that the poor thing was miserable on the inside, though he appeared heartless in some situations.

"Dawn?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I'm not into this mushy crap but...I think I should let you know that...I love you..."

"I love you too, Shadow." I kissed Shadow on his lips for a brief moment again. We must've spent a lot of time out here, since I could see that the sun was setting a little. It was early evening now.

"Aww. How cute. The scene makes me want to gag." My ears perked up after I heard that voice. It was _way _too familar! My quills sharpened as my ears began to move around like radars. Shadow went into defensive mode as well as he turned away from me and began to scan the area carefully.

"I know who that was." I growled.

"I know too..." Shadow whispered sneering. It was then when we both saw something jump out of one of the trees and walk towards us a little. When the person stepped into the light, Shadow and I saw immediate green fur.

**_"You!!" _**Shadow growled.

"Sup Stripes? Enjoying a romantic evening with **_my _**girl?" Scourge asked sneering.

"_Your _girl?! I was _NEVER _your girl!!" I yelled.

"I'm giving you exactly ten seconds to leave or else!" Shadow yelled scowling.

"Or else what? You'll beat me to death? Are you sure you wanna do that in front of Dawn?" Scourge asked tauntingly.

"Are you crazy? I'll _help _him kick your ass!" I yelled.

"Ah, whatever. Anyways, I came here for one thing and one thing only. This doesn't even concern you, Stripes."

"It does concern me! You will **_NOT _**lay a limb on Dawn as long as I'm concerned!!"

"Mmm...Soul Tone, much?"

"S-Soul Tone...?" I asked, confused.

"You don't know what it is? Eh, oh well. I guess I'll explain it," Scourge said "Soul Tone is a kind of mythical energy that only we hedgehogs can feel. It is an energy that is triggered whenever a hedgehog finds his or her mate. Since I've been eavesdropping a lot lately, I was able to find out that you two saw eye to eye when you first met. Soul Tone activated then. The both of you saw each other as suitable mates. Now, you're together. It makes sense."

"How do we know you're not lying?" Shadow asked skeptically.

"Please, you don't have to believe me. If ya ask Blue, he'll tell you the same damn thing," Scourge replied "But I'm letting you know, Soul Tone or not, you two **_will _**be seperated. I **_REFUSE _**to see you two married!!"

"MARRIED?! We just started dating!!" I protested.

"That may be so, but this is different," Scourge said "When Soul Tone is activated, it means that the two hedgehogs are destined for each other, and they must never part during their lifetime. This includes marriage. It's like an eternal vow. You two cannot separate."

"And what happens if we do?" I asked. Scourge suddenly laughed a little as he placed his hand over his face. But, there was something disturbing about the laugh...It was evil, of course; but it sounded like it had a hint of anger in it too...It was strange.

"There's _**no** _possible way you two can spearate!" he exclaimed "Even if you two broke up, you'll end up back together again! Soul Tone is an unbeatable force; you can't run away from it! Once you two are together, you **_stay _**together! It's like a contract; once you sign it, that's it!" _So this means I'll have to spend the rest of my life with Shadow? _It's not a bad thing to me; I'd rather spend the rest of my life with Shadow anyway. But, it makes me wonder what our future woulsd look like...This kind of reminds me of an issue of the comics where it showed how everyone's future would look like. Would me and Shadow be married then? Will we have kids too? And what'll happen to Sonic and the others?

"However..." Scourge spoke again. This time, his pocket knife was in his hands, and he was twirling it in his hands. And he also had a **_very _**evil look on his face. Just looking at him made my skin crawl. "There's only one possible way to break Soul Tone. And this benifits for me."

"What are you talking about now?!" Shadow demanded.

"Oh, nothin'...I'm just sayin' that I'm gonna kill you so that the contract will be broken!!" Scourge then charged at Shadow at full speed. He went so fast that I couldn't even see him! It was then when I was pushed out of the way, and I heard Shadow let out a painful grunt as he was pushed against the tree we were standing in front of. I was a little shaken by the whole thing, but I was able to get back on my feet quickly to see Scourge holding his knife up to Shadow's throat. Shadow was holding Scourge's arm, trying to push him off so he wouldn't get his throat slit. But Scourge was fulled by nothing but pure rage and anger, and he was proving to be stronger than Shadow.

I wasn't about to sit back and watch Scourge kill him. Without hesitation or a second thought, I curled into a ball and Spin Dashed Scourge. I was able to get him off of Shadow, but after a few moments, I noticed that I stopped moving. It was too late when I realized Scourge was able to stop my Spin Dash and he was holding on to me as I tried to tackle him some more. He then threw me with all of his strength, and I ended up getting thrown into a tree.

Scourge threw me so hard that the impact I made actually left a dent in the tree. I felt a very sharp pain go through my back as I tried to sit up. It took me a short while, but I was able to get back on my feet. While I was struggling, I heard Scourge and Shadow fighting in the distance. They weren't too far away from me, in fact. It was then when I heard Shadow let out a painful yet loud groan. I looked over to see Shadow bent over a little, and his hand was covering his stomach. And then I soon saw liquid red pouring from Shadow's hand..._Scourge cut him!_

Acting on pure instinct, I ran over to Shadow as fast as I could. He was bleeding profusely, and his gash looked deep...I'll have to get him medical assistence right away. I don't care if we were in the middle of a fight, Shadow couldn't stay here. He's weak, and an easy target for Scourge. I couldn't let him kill Shadow...I couldn't.

"Get away from him, Dawn." I heard Scourge growl.

"Bite me!" I sneered "You won this fight, so leave us alone!!"

"You know I can't do that..." With his claws drawn, Scourge charged at us again. I stood in front of Shadow defensively, and launced a wave of Chaos Spear at the enraged hedgehog. With his incredible speed, Scourge was able to dodge each of the spear-like blasts of Chaos Energy. I was about to launch another, but it was too late.

Before I knew it, Scourge had slashed me on my face, chest and lower abdomen. The blow was so forceful, that his last hit blew me away a few feet away from Shadow. I was in intense pain, but I had to keep fighting. Unfortunately, I was in no condition to fight. I didn't realize Scourge's claws did a lot of damage to me, until I saw my clothes stained with a lot of blood, and the blood on my face rushed into my mouth.

I must've been bleeding a lot, since I started to feel weak rather quickly. I was able to ignore the sharp pain going through my body as I stood up. However, my knees gave way, and I collasped back onto the ground. My vision was getting blurry, and I was beginning to lose consciousness. Before I blacked out, I saw Scourge looming over me, his claws still drawn, and a wicked grin on his face. However, I was able to hear something like an enraged scream, followed by an explosion before I completely blacked out...

My fate rested in Scourge's hands now...

* * *

**End Notes: **Oh my gosh!! So sorry for the long wait!! Here's the next chapter! ^^

Due to loss of internet, and having to do this in school, be noted that the next chapter(s) WILL be delayed until i get my own internet. Once again, sorry for the long wait!

I don't think the chapter turned out as good as I expected, but I tried, right?

Thanks for reading! See you next time, and God bless!! ^-^


	21. Till Death Do We Part

**_Chapter Twenty_**

**_Thursday_**

**_7:59pm_**

**_Knothole Hospital_**

I'm not really sure how long I was unconscious, but I knew one thing: I was alive. I was beginning to regain consciousness. When I woke up, the very first thing I felt was a sharppain going through my body. I noticed that I was still lying down, but I wasn't on the hard forest ground anymore. Instead, I was lying on something soft, and something warm was covering my body. I slowly opened my eyes, and I was quickly greeted with a very bright white light. The light agitated my eyes for a moment, and I had to close them for a whie before I could finally open my eyes fully and scan my new surroundings.

Once my eyes were open, I was able to see that I was in a white room, and I was lying on a bed. I sat up, but I let out a groan after I started to feel that pain again. I also noticed that I had something around my mouth and nose. I lifted my hand over my muzzle, and found out that I had a type of mask over it. It as an oxygen mask.

"Dawn, you're awake?" someone asked with a concerned voice. I looked over to see Shadow standing next to my bed. He was heavily bandaged where Scourge had cut him. Either way, I was glad he was ok, and alive.

"Shadow, how'd you get us to a hospital?" I asked as he came over to me and gave me a tight hug. I winced in pain a little, since he hugged an area where I was injured.

"Once i was done with Scourge, I was able to Chaos Control us here with the remainder of my strength." he expalined.

"But you were injured! You shouldn't have done that!"

"Did I have a choice? If I didn't do what I did, we both would've died from blood loss." Shadow then gave me a warm kiss on my lips before he sat on thebed next to me and cuddled. "I was so scared I was going to lose you..."

"I was more worried about you. I thought I wasn't going to protect you..."

"You did. But it was _I _who didn't protect _you." _

"By the way, what happened with you and Scourge?"

"It was a bit chaotic at first, but i was able to chase him off..."

* * *

**_Thursday_**

**_5:03pm_**

**_Forest_**

**_Two hours earlier..._**

After Shadow saw his lover lying on the ground lifeless, with Scourge looming over her, he snapped. His rage influenced the Chaos Energy, thus turning it into negative energy. He boiled up so much power, that the power exploded from his body as he let out an enraged howl. His fur had turned from onyx black and crimson stripes to deep orange fur and pitch black stripes. His eyes were irisless and were glowing white, and black energy was flowing from his hands. He only had one thing on his mind; death to whoever harmed the one he loved.

At full speed, Shadow charged at Scourge. He was so fast that he almost broke the fabrics of time as he ran! He grabbed Scourge by the collar of his jacket, threw him up into the air, and gave him a devestating kick to his lower abdomen, using his ankle and the top of his foot. Scourge let out a painful scream before Shadow kicked Scourge again. This time, he hovered over Scourge and kicked him in his back. The hit was so doreceful and strong that Scourge left a small crater into the ground when he landed.

Scourge was in intense pain, but he wasn't down for the count just yet. He slowly crawled out of the crater and faced Shadow, who was on the ground by now. However, when Scourge looked at Shadow closely, he realized that he was facing off against a monster-like being. He didn't realize he made Shadow so angry to where it changed his appearence and give him more power. Scourge was covered with cuts and bruises; his jacket was torn a little, his sunglasses broken from the fall. He felt a lot of sharp pain in his abdomen and back, but he wanted to keep fighting.

**"You won't leave here alive," **Shadow said, his voice low, enraged, and evil like **"You WILL die today; and you will die by my hands!!" **Scourge tried to say something, but before he could even open his mouth, shadow had teleported right in front of him, and then punched him dead in the face. The blow was so powerful and it threw Scourge deeper into the forest by ten feet. Blood began to run out of the green hedgehog's nose, and a little stream of blood was coming out of his mouth.

By now, Scourge was dealing with pain he never felt before. It felt like his whole body was hit by a train, and he was feeling the aftermath. Now in his weakened state, Scourge fell to his knees. He looked up to see Shadow walking toward him steadily, but he was approaching fast. _I can't fight Stripes like this, _he thought _time to haul my ass outta here._

"You shouldn't be focusing on me so much, Stripes," Scourge said weakly "Maybe you should get to your girlfriend before she dies." Shadow suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He was so focused on killing Scourge that he forgot about his injured partner. How could he forget about her? The only thing he had left in his world was fading away, and he forgot to rush to her aid. Shadow's ears drooped a little as the negative energy began to leave his body. He was hurt; he felt like he wasn't there for Dawn when she needed him the most.

"I'll deal with you later..." Shadow growled before he raced back towards his fallen lover, ignoring his current injury. Once he was out of sight, Scourge use the remainder of his strength to Chaos Control back onto Moebius.

Shadow made it back to Dawn in mere moments. He ran over to her and knelt down next to her. Her injuries didn't look like much at first glance, but upon further expection, she was in serious condition. She had lost a lot of blood in the last few moments or so, and her breathing was becoming labored. Her muzzle looked paler than usual too, and she appeared lifeless. Shadow had to use nothing but pure will to keep himself from crying. _How could I do this to her? _he thought.

A single tear ran down his cheek as he gently placed his hands under her body and picked her up bridal style. He flinched a little after he felt the sting from his current wound, but Dawn's health came first. Using the last little power he had left, Shadow Chaos Controlled them both back to Knothole's local hospital. When a nurse saw both hedgehogs, she immediately ran over to them.

"What happened?" she asked, looking at them both.

"I'll explain later...Just help her, please..." Shadow said weakly. the nurse nodded before she instructed another nurse to get a stretcher for them both. When both stretchers came, Shadow immediately placed Dawn on the bed. Though the nurses tried to get Shadow on the other bed, he refused since he was more concerned about his fallen partner. He tried to follow Dawn's bed, but he was soon persuaded to go into another room so that doctors could tend to his injuries.

It was about another forty-five minutes or so later before Shadow was patched up. He went to the front desk and asked about Dawn.

"Her cuts were deep, and she lost quite a lot of blood," a Mobian porcupine said. He was the one who tended to Dawn "But, she wasn't in serious condition. Right now, she's resting in one of the recovery rooms. One she regains consciousness, she'll be fine."

"Can I see her?" Shadow asked after he let out a sigh of relief. The porcupine led Shadow halfway down a hall before they came across a door that had the numbers "231" in bold white letters written on it. Shadow slowly opened the door and soon saw Dawn lying in the frist bed in the room. Her vest and half of her shirt was cut off, and she was heavily bandaged where she received her injuries.

Shadow walked over to the bed, pulled a chair next to it and sat down. He gazed at Dawn a little, studying her closely. If she didn't have that oxygen mask over her muzzle and wasn't bandaged, she'd look like she was sleeping peacefully. Shadow reached over and moved her bang away a little, exposing the rest of her eye; and then he let it fall back into place. The steady beeping of the heart moniter nearby was the only sound heard in the entire room.

Shadow stroked Dawn's quills a little with his ungloved hand; feeling the softness of her fur, and the moderate hardness of her quills. _I was supposed to protect her; instead, I almost got her killed..._Shadow held onto Dawn's hand tightly as tears began to form into his eyes. Sure Dawn was ok and was going to recover, but Shadow could've stopped all of this. He could've stopped Scourge easily, and Dawn wouldn't have gotten hurt. He felt like a fool; he felt like he wasn't able to protect the one he cared about the most.

"I promise you Dawn," shadow whispered through his tears "I will _not _let something like this happen ever again. For as long as I live, I will stay by your side, always. Until death, we shall never part." Shadow then leaned over on the bed a little before he kissed Dawn on her lips again.

* * *

"You don't realize how much you mean to me, Dawn. If I lost you too..." Shadow was holding both of my hands now. He had explained what had happened in the little time I was unconscious. My oxygen mask was finally off since i really didn't need it anymore. I was surprised sonic hadn't heard of this and burst into the room right about now. I'll have to be honest though; I was glad Sonic hadn't came yet. I could be alone with shadow for a little longer.

"Also, while you were out, I didn't a little research," Shadow said a while later "Apparently, when Soul Tone is activated, the two hedgehogs are destined to stay together like Scourge said. Even if we parted ways, we'd still be together regardless."

"So, we basically gotta stay together forever, right?" I asked.

"Mhmm."

"So this means marriage?" Shadow suddenly blushed as he turned away from me and looked towards the ground.

"W-well, I wouldn't say it's marriage...B-but I didn find out that we have to have a type of ceremony that'll bond us for an eternity..."

"So...we have to get married then."

"It's not a wedding..."

"Yes it is."

"No it is not."

"Yes it is."

"Ok then. If the said ceremony is a wedding, what would your answer be if I asked you to marry me right now?"

"My answer would be 'yes'." Shadow looked up at me surprised. His cheeks were so red now that his cheeks were almost the color of his stripes.

"Do...do you really mean that?" he asked.

"Of course I do, silly! If I could marry anyone on Mobius, I'd choose you every time!" I replied. Shadow beamed before he kissed me passionately on my lips. And, of course, I kissed him back.

"So...are we planning a wedding next?" Shadow asked.

"Don't count on it," I said laughing "I'd rather wait." Shadow smiled again before he got on the bed and sat next to me. For the rest of the night, we remained in the hospital room, cuddling each other for warmth, as well as support. One thing was for sure out of this whole odeal; Shadow loved me to death. And I felt the same way. Ad, just like he said before, we shall not part, until death. I would rather belong to him than anyone else.

* * *

**End Notes: **The first appearence of Dark Super Shadow!!

Ok, quick note: There might be a few typos in this since I was rushing, so sorry about that guys!

And sorry if the chapter isn't that good, but I tried, right?

Anyways, you guys decide! Should Shadow and Dawn get married soon (one or two chapters later) or should they wait? Tell me your choice in your reveiw!

Speaking of reveiws, give them to me! Reveiws give me power! Mwahahaha!! *ahem* I mean...

Thanks for reading!! Next chapter will be delayed; sorry guys! See you next time, and God bless!! ^^


	22. So Long, Sally

**Author Notes:**I decided to redo the other chapters. It felt like they were a bit rushed. The story didn't feel the same after I wrote those few chapters, so I rased them and decided to start over from here. It took me a long time before I finally made up my mind, but I'm going to continue.

The other characters I introduced won't come in until later; at least, that's my hope. I'll just have to see how things pan out before I decide.

Now, with all of that aside, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty-One_**

**_Sunday_**

**_Knothole Village: Castle_**

**_1:27pm_**

Some days had passed since Scourge attacked Shadow and I in the forest; I lost count on how many days it's been though...There wasn't a lot going on these days; it's been pretty peaceful for the most part. Shadow still comes over, keeping me company along with Sonic and Shad (we changed the puppy's name a bit. Both Sonic and Shadow agreed that they shouldn't have the same name; it was too confusing). Sonic and I have been bonding, as usual.

I was in the parlor in the parlor one afternoon with Shad resting next to me. I was going through the scrapbook Sonic had gave to me for my birthday. There were a lot of pictures in it; it even showed Sonic when he was younger. It had pictures where he was on Earth, when he and Sally were together, and other moments I could easily recognize. Sonic came in a few moments later from the other rooms. He was rubbing a towel on his head, and his fur was a little damp. He must've got out of the shower.

"What'cha doin' kiddo?" he asked as he sat down next to me.

"Going through the scrap book," I replied "I just wanted to see how many pictures were in here." I came across some more pictures where I was still a baby. However, these group of picture were...strange. I noticed that these pictures had Sally in them! There was one where she was holding me right after I was born, one where she was brushing my fur, and another where we were playing. I stared at the pictures for a long time, wondering how this could happen. Sonic said Sally died before I was born...Was that a lie, or...?

"Sal didn't die when you were born," Sonic said, reading my thoughts.

"But...you said--"

"I lied. But before you say anything, hear me out." I nodded. "I didn't lie about having your embryo transferred. However, I didn't tell you the _real_reason it had to be transferred. You see, when Sally was pregnant with you, your embryo didn't develop as it should have, and you stopped growing in her womb, and you were on the brink of death. So we transferred your embryo into a human's, and you grown in Chelsea's womb. We weren't sure why you wouldn't develop in Sal, but you were five months behind in your growth. We had to some _something_..."

"So...how did mom die...?"

"...We don't know. She died in her sleep a few nights after your birth...Kintobor is still investigating the cause but...so far, we have nothing..."

"...Why did you lie to me...?"

"Do you think you were going to accept the entire truth once you found out that I was your real father?? Think about it; for sixteen years of your life, you've been living as a human. Now suddenly, an anthropomorphic hedgehog turns up at your doorstep, and says he's your real father, and you're not a human. Do you think you would've accepted that right away?" When he put it that way, he had a point...Remembering when I first found out Sonic was real, it was a complete shocker. Hell, I was still in denial while we were heading back to Mobius! Even so, I could understand his plight...Any normal person would've immediately rejected the idea. Still...it hurts you when your parents lie to you, y'know?

"Look, Dawn," Sonic said quietly "I know you don't like to be told lies, but if you stop and think about that situation, what choice did I really have?"

"I know I know! But...all this time, I've thought that mom and I didn't spend time together...but she was alive when I was a baby! I...even though I hardly know her, I miss her..." Sonic stared at me for a bit, his eyes filled with sympathy. He turned his head away from me, looking as if he was contemplating.

"...Maybe I should have..." he said out loud.

"Maybe you should have what?" I asked curiously.

"I could've prevented Sal's death but...time traveling is costly..."

"You could've saved mom?!"

"Yes, but it involves time traveling. As you know, time travel isn't a walk in the part. If you change one thing, you can also change another thing without trying to. Sometimes, the affect can be disastrous! Besides, I don't even know how she died." I started to mull it over. After playing all the Sonic games, reading all of the comics, and watching a bit of the shows, what he says is reasonable. Sometimes, time travel can prevent the most heartbreaking events and make a better future. Other times, you make things worse even when you have the best intensions. So, If Sonic _did _prevent my mom's death, then something else might have happened.

It probably wasn't best for me to keep thinking about this, so I averted my attention back to the pictures. I started browsing through them again, studying each picture carefully. I came across one where I had a half eaten chocolate cupcake in my hands. My muzzle and areas of my fur was stained with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. My mouth was wrapped around the cupcake, but I was looking directly at the camera with a happy look on my face. Sonic leaned over and looked at the picture too, and he laughed a bit.

"I remember that day." he said.

"This was my birthday picture?" I asked.

"Yup. It was your first birthday. Everyone was there, but that's not what made it special. You spoke for the first time on that day."

"Really?? What was my first word?"

"'Daddy'."

"Oh. I recognized you, right?"

"No."

"No?"

"You said that because Uncle Chuck wanted to know who spilled Mountain Dew on the carpet." I looked at Sonic for a brief moment before I doubled over with laughter. I can't believe that I told on my dad even though I was just starting to speak! Too bad I couldn't remember that...That must've been one funny day. Sonic laughed with me, but he calmed down before I did.

"I remember that day as if it were yesterday," he said once the laughing stopped "I _still _can't believe you taddled on me!" Sonic patted my head again as I started to go through the pictures again. Most contained me and Sonic either playing, sleeping or eating together. I couldn't help but to smile as I looked at the pictures.

"Hey, Sonic?" I aid, breaking the momentary silence.

"Yeah kiddo?"

"I've been wondering...if you prevented mom's death, wouldn't we still be a family?"

"Well, yes," Sonic shifted uncomfortably in his seat "but that's usually not the case. I'm sure that yo always saw me as someone who'd always jump into something head first without thinking; I don't do that when my family's involved. I had to be cautious. Even so, I don't know what killed Sal. So even if I did travel back in time, it'd most likely be a blank trip, since I wouldn't know what to look for."

"But...you still think about it, right?"

"At times. But that's not really up for discussion." I decided to close the conversation and continue to look at the photos. Shad woke up from his nap by now, and he crawled closer to me and laid his head on my arm, as if he wanted to look at the photos with me. After a few minutes, I started to hear a faint ring coming from the kitchen.

"I'll get it." Sonic said as he got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. I didn't think much of it, so I stayed where I was and went through the scrapbook. However, as the seconds went by, I had a compelling urge to eavesdrop on Sonic's private conversation. I didn't know why I was feeling this way, and I ignored the feeling. But a voice inside my head urged me to go over to the kitchen door and hear what Sonic was saying. I held up for two minutes, and then finally gave in.

Putting the scrapbook aside, I eased my way over to the door as silently as I could, with Shad at my heels. I stopped at the door-frame and sat against the wall, making sure Sonic couldn't see me if he looked towards the door. I hushed Shad since me made a low whinging sound, and positioned him to my side so Sonic wouldn't be able to see him either. Once I was comfortable, I leaned closer to the opening and opened my ears so I could hear Sonic.

"When did you find this out?" I heard Sonic say. I couldn't hear the response of whoever was on the other line, but then i suddenly felt a burst of power go through my body, and I could suddenly hear the person on the other end of the phone!

"...but I was able to find the cause of her death." the person said. The voice was very unfamiliar to me, but I guessed that it was someone Sonic knew.

"Well, can you tell me what killed her?" Sonic asked.

"Of course, Your Majesty. But...I'm not sure how you'll take the news."

"Just tell me; I'll take the news the best way I can."

"Very well...I recently found out that Sally...was poisoned..." It felt like I've just been hit by a train at full force. Who'd do such a thing to Sally?! I don't know why, but for some reason, i could feel Sonic's sorrow...and rage. He had to pause for a minute and take a few breaths before he was able to talk to the other person again.

"W-were you able to find out who poisoned her?" he croaked. I could tell by his voice that he was on the verge of crying.

"I don't know," the person replied "but that leads me to my next question."

"Huh?"

"Did you happen to get into a confrontation with an enemy of yours that day? Did they vow revenge on you somehow?" There was a long pause after that. Even so, I could still feel Sonic's rage building slowly within his body. After five minutes, Sonic growled the name "Scourge." I nearly jumped up and yelled out of rage. _That green bastard killed my mother!! _I swear to god, once I get my hands on that hedgehog, I'm gonna...

"Do you mind telling me what happened...?" the person asked.

"It was when I locked him up in the No Zone that day. That was the second time it happened, and it was on the same day I found out Sal was pregnant with Dawn. He vowed he was going to get back at me someway...Two days later, I found out Scourge escaped his prison." Nothing could explain how much anger was building in my body. I'm not sure if he was intent on killing me also, but I know he wanted to kill Sally in order to get back at Sonic.

Using my own will, I was able to get back on feet and drag myself back over to the couch, with Shad right behind me. I didn't want Sonic to get the impression that I heard the conversation, so I tried to seem like I was still interested in the photos in the scrapbook. Six minutes had passed, and Sonic still hadn't emerged from the kitchen. Around this time, Shadow had appeared in the parlor. He wasn't carrying any gifts this time, but seeing him smile at me was enough to boost my mood.

"Coming in uninvited like always, huh Shadow?" I remarked as he came over to me.

"Of course,"he said as he kissed my cheek "you know I don't use doors." He sat down next to me while keeping an excited Shad at bay. I smiled at them both before I looked back down at the photos. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get the idea of Scourge killing my mom out of my mind. I knew Scourge was _that_evil but...was he trying to kill me too? If that were the case, then why is he so smitten with me then (if that's actually true). Shadow must have figured out that something was wrong since he placed his hand on my back.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No...just thinkin', that's all..." I replied.

"What are you thinking about?"

"My mom..."

"Oh, you mean Sally?"

"Yeah..."

"She was a good woman. Very noble, strong..." I wanted to tell Shadow what I just found out, but I was also afraid that he might go to Sonic and tell him what I told him, getting me in trouble. I decided to keep it to myself and wait for the right time. Shadow started to go through the pictures with me for a few more minutes before Sonic reemerged from the kitchen. He had an upset look on his face, and I could still see the dried tears on his muzzle. He looked over at Shadow and I and smiled.

"You have good timing, don't you?" he asked Shadow.

"Don't I always?" Shadow replied shrugging.

"I'm glad you're here though..."

"Oh?"

"I have to talk to you, privately." By Sonic's tone and his expression, Shadow knew that something was wrong. Shadow gave me a quick kiss to my cheek before he got up from the couch and followed Sonic into the kitchen again. Once they disappeared, I had the urge to eavesdrop on them again. I wanted to find out more about this, and if I asked Sonic about it, he'll either dismiss the discussion or get the idea that I was listening to him. I've done reckless things before, and this is nothing compared to what I used to do. Once the coast was clear, I made my move.

I got back into my position against the wall with Shad with me. I opened my ears again so I could hear the conversation on the other end.

"...I'll be running a risk, but I don't want Dawn to grow up without a mother. Who knows? I might be able to prevent the humans from taking her away, and she'll be able to grow up with me properly." I heard Sonic say.

"I'm not so sure," Shadow said quietly "time travel's no walk in the park. No telling what we'll change if we go back. Maybe you should take the time out to think about this more..."

"I already made up my mind! You know how much I love Sal, and how much I want to have a mother for Dawn! More importantly, I wanted her to grow up with me instead of the humans."

"If we do that, then we might prevent Dr. Finitevus from turning Earth into Mobion." By the tone of Shadow's voice, I could tell that he wasn't happy about that.

"It's a high risk," Sonic said "but I can't sit back and..." Sonic suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. There wasn't anything to distract the conversation to my knowledge. But it was when I looked over to see Shad wasn't at my side anymore. Instead, he was in front of the kitchen door, tail wagging and playfully pulling at my pants leg, making my bare foot visible. _Damn! They can see me!_I tried to get up and go back over to the couch, but when I tried to do that, it was too late. Sonic was already out of the kitchen, and in a swift movement, he grabbed my ear and pulled back, making me release a small yelp in pain. I turned my head a little until I could see Sonic's face, and I immediately saw that he was very agitated.

"Mind telling me what you were doin' here?" he asked, taping his foot impatiently. I would lie to him, but by his expression, I knew lying to him would be very difficult. Besides, I didn't have the heart to lie to my father. Other people, maybe, but not Sonic.

"Um...I was...eavesdropping?" I replied, trying to sound as innocent as I could.

"And _why_were you eavesdropping?"

"Becaaaause....I...heard you talking on the phone with someone about mom?" Sonic's expression softened a bit as his eyes widened. He suddenly released my ear and then placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me dead in the eye.

"How much did you hear?" he asked.

"I heard enough," I replied quietly "I heard that mom was poisoned by Scourge..." Sonic averted his gaze from me and looked towards the ground for a minute. After a few minutes, his gaze lifted and we were now looking at each other again.

"We'll talk about this later," he said "but _promise_ me that you will _not_go to Scourge and confront him, or do anything reckless."

"It's not a promise I can guarantee but--"

"Promise me!" I jumped a little, but I nodded quickly.

"I promise..." Sonic gave me a kiss on my forehead before he hugged me tightly.

"I know it's hard," he whispered "but everything will be ok, I promise."

"Are you going to try to save mom?" I croaked while trying to fight back tears forming in my eyes.

"...I might. But I'm not sure...Listen, how 'bout you go out for a bit and get some fresh air? You don't need to be in here all day."

"But, what about--"

"Your injuries have healed nicely. Your stitches sill be removed tomorrow. Just go out and enjoy yourself."

"I'll have to stay behind," Shadow said, finally participating in the conversation "I would go with you, but this is very serious. I'll join you once we're finished here." I nodded before I hugged Sonic again and started to head for the door.

"Aren't you taking Shad with you?" Sonic called.

"No way!" I replied "The little runt ratted me out!" I heard both Sonic and Shadow laugh a bit before I headed outside. A warm, summer breeze hit my body and ran through my fur. The air was very refreshing. I inhaled a large amount of the air before I started to walk around the village aimlessly. I wonder what my friends were up to? I haven't seen much of them since they came here...Evra helping Bunnie with clothes and her hair salon, Brendon is most likely helping out Tails and Rotor...No telling what Cyrus is getting himself into.

Speaking of him, I notice that we haven't been as close as we used to be...when we first met in kindergarten, we always stuck by each others side, played together, ate together...We were unbreakable, even after we met Evra and Brendon. But now, it seems like our bond is breaking. Cyrus seems so busy trying to learn how to fly, while I'm busy with a new boyfriend and other issues. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to go see him. We could try to catch up.

"'Sup dudette?" Speak of the devil. I immediately turned to see a very familiar brown bat standing next to a tree. I smiled at Cyrus as I walked over to him.

"You have the best timing," I said "I was just thinkin' 'bout ya!"

"Really? Aww...I'm so touched." I gave Cyrus a playful shove before we started to walk around the village again.

"Oh hey! I finally learned how to fly!" Cyrus suddenly said excitedly. He gave me a small demonstration by flapping his wings and floating a few feet in the air for a moment.

"Cool! But it took you like...six years to learn how to fly?" Cyrus gave me a wicked grin before he flew towards me. Realizing what he was doing, I took off at full speed. I wasn't running fast, but Cyrus was on my heels in mere seconds. He suddenly came down and landed right on top of me, knocking me down to the ground. We were doubling over with laughter, having a great time. i almost forgot about what had happened in the castle. Once we stopped laughing, we decided to just sit on the grass in a bunch of trees and just talk.

"How've you been?" Cyrus asked.

"I've been alright," I replied, picking a few of the grass strands "I'm recovering well after Scourge attacked shadow and I that day."

"I wish he'd just leave you alone!!" I jumped a little, surprised by Cyrus's sudden outburst. He was gripping the grass rather tightly, with his ears drooping and an angry look on his face.

"Cyrus..." I said quietly "Shadow gave him a good beating."

"Still..." Cyrus said, his expression softening "I wish he'd just leave you alone...Everytime that guy messes with ya, you end up getting hurt somehow..."

"Let's not talk 'bout him. How have you been doin'?"

"Oh, me? I've been doin' fine...After I got comfortable with the flyin' thing, I've been practicing flyin' long distances. I flew to Station Square the other day, and then Central City. I almost made it to Dowunda, but I got lazy and came back."

"You seen any signs of the others?"

"Yup, they're ok. Also...I need to talk to you 'bout somethin' dudette..."

"What's up?" Cyrus suddenly turned away from me and looked up towards the sky. His blond hair swayed in the wind, and his hazel eyes looked...distant. He looked troubled for some reason...

"Cyrus...are you ok...?" I asked silently.

"...Y-yeah...just...thinkin' that's all..." he replied quietly.

"What're you thinkin' about?"

"Well...ok, y'know how we were really close back then? We did almost everything together?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was just thinkin' 'bout stuff like that...But...I was also thinking about...how much I...care 'bout ya...y'know?" This wasn't like Cyrus...he's always bright and happy-like. But now, he looks...saddened. I wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but I wanted to help my friend the best way I could.

"Is something bothering you?" I asked.

"Yeah...a little..." he replied.

"Well, you can tell me. We're best friends, remember?"

"I know but...I'm not sure if I...Ok, look; I'm holding in something I've been feeling for a long time...and...I want to get it off of my chest."

"Then tell me." Cyrus took a deep breath before he turned towards me and looked me dead in the eye. the sadness in his eyes was gone now, but it was replaced with...worry. He moved a little closer to me until our bodies were almost touching.

"Dawn...I...really, _really _care 'bout ya...and...I don't like it...when we're apart...So what I'm trying to say is...well...I...always wanted us to be...more than 'friends'...I want to...be closer...y'know?"

"Wait...are you saying that you--"

"My feelings for you never changed," Cyrus interrupted with his voice trembling a bit; he turned away from me and was now looking down at the ground "That time when we had to stay in the castle, I was meaning to tell you how I felt then. But when I heard Scourge messin' around in the castle, I knew I had to put that on hold. And when you went with him in order to protect me...I wanted to stop you, y'know? I couldn't bare the thought of you bein' with him...let alone someone else..."

I watched Cyrus closely as he explained his feelings to me. I always felt that he felt this way about me before, but I brushed that off. And the way he said his words and how they came out...I knew that what he was saying was sincere. His voice trembled a lot, as if he was afraid. Even so, I started to think about how hurt Cyrus would be once he found out that i was with someone else...And we were so close...Cyrus paused from talking for a bit, reached over and hugged me tight. Out of instinct, I hugged him back.

"You mean the world to me, dudette," he whispered "But...I'm scared that...you don't feel that same way 'bout me..."

"Cyrus..." I whispered "It's not that I don't feel the same way about you...but it's just--"

"How adorable. Men are just drawn to ya, huh Cookie?" _No...say it ain't so! _Cyrus immediately released me and shot up, staring directly at a part in the trees. I stood up also, but Cyrus pushed me back so I'd almost be behind him. I didn't have to tell you what was next; Scourge was leaning against a tree, playing with his pocket knife in his right hand.

"'Sup Cyrus? That's your name, right?" Scourge asked.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Cyrus yelled "Just leave us alone you twisted bastard!!" Scourge chuckled darkly as he stood up and started to walk towards us slowly. My quills hardened as I sneered, taking a step back and pulling at Cyrus's jacket.

"Cyrus," I whispered "get ready to haul your ass outta here when I tell ya to."

"I"m not runnin'!" Cyrus snapped.

"But--"

"I said I'm not--" Cyrus was cut short when the loud sound of a buzz saw filled the air. I looked over to see Scourge Spin Dashing at us both at full speed. But I already knew what were his intentions; he was bent on slicing Cyrus to shreds!

* * *

**End Notes:**Finally...I'm hoping that I didn't a better job than before. I made sure that I spell checked everything before publishing. If I still missed a few, my apologies.

Next chapters of _"Emerald Kisses"_ and A _"Green Thorn"_ will be delayed. But I will begin to construct each chapter before long. However, it might be another week or two before you see the next chapters. Hey, I know it's a long wait, but what are you going to do when you don't have Internet and you have to use your school's computers?

Review if ya want, no pressure or no rush. But be nice, will ya?

Thanks for reading! God Bless and Happy (early) Easter to you all!


	23. Mystery Solved!

**_Chapter Twenty-Two_**

**_Sunday_**

**_Knothole Village: Castle_**

**_1:27pm_**

I don't really remember what happened after I saw Scourge Spin Dashing towards Cyrus. But I do remember standing in between the both of them while Scourge was lying on the ground groaning in pain. I was panting, not out of exhaustion, but out of fear. It was then when I realized what happened: I somehow was able to jump in front of Cyrus and launch a Chaos Spear at Scourge. I was about to run up to him and start beating the spit out for him, but stopped myself after I remembered the promise I made to Sonic earlier. I was in a sort of daze, not really sure what was going on, or what I should do next.

"Cyrus!" I suddenly yelled, finally able to come back into reality "Go to Sonic and tell him Scourge is in the village!"

"But--"

"Just do it!" I snapped, cutting Cyrus off "I'll follow you soon, but I gotta make sure he stays in one spot!" Cyrus looked at me for a bit, and hesitated. But after looking into my eyes for a while, he took a few steps back before he spread his wings and flew towards the castle. Once Cyrus was out of sight, I turned my attention back to Scourge, who was now on his feet and glaring at me.

"I'll fight you if I have to." I growled, facing him.

"Trust me, Cookie," Scourge said "I don't wanna fight ya. But if you insist, so be it." I left hand trembled a bit; I was nervous, and I had a good reason to be! This is a very dangerous guy I'm up against. I got into a few scraps with him, and each of them ended in a tie as far as I'm concerned. I wasn't sure how to approach him; should i attack first or wait for him? Still, I didn't want to fight him. I made a promise to Sonic not to confront Scourge, especially after what I just found out.

"So, am I goin' to make the first strike, or will it be you?" Scourge taunted me.

"I...I'm not going to fight you." I said quietly.

"Oh? That's new...What's wrong? Scared?"

"No," I sneered "but I know what you did to--" I was cut off when i saw a blue object fly past me and knocks Scourge to the ground. I soon realized that it was Sonic. This caught the green menace off guard, and he was easily blown back. I turned around to see Cyrus and Shadow running towards us. I guess they were trying to catch Sonic before he did anything reckless after he heard Scourge was here.

"Are you ok??" Shadow asked as he ran up to me.

"I'm fine. He didn't touch me." I replied. Before Shadow or Cyrus could say anything else, I turned around to see Sonic holding Scourge against a tree. Sonic's hand was wrapped tightly around Scourge's throat, and I knew that he wanted to kill him; he didn't care who saw it or who found out.

"You son of a bitch..." Sonic growled "I swear to god...I'll avenge Sal by--"

"The hell are you talkin' 'bout, Blue?" Scourge choked out, gripping Sonic's wrists tightly.

"You know what I mean!!" Sonic shouted. I never saw Sonic this enraged before. I could even sense the negative energy building inside of him; shadow did too. He was most likely going to turn into Dark Super Sonic if he doesn't calm down soon. "I know you killed Sal that day...Kintobor told me she was poisoned! You wanted to get back at me after I locked you up in the No Zone...I know what you did!!"

"W-wait a minute, Blue..." Scourge was struggling to get air into his lungs. He was scratching at Sonic's hands and arms, trying to break free of Sonic's death grip. "I know you won't believe me, but I didn't kill Sal!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!!" Sonic pulled Scourge closer to him until their noses were practically touching. "I'm not stupid. You poisoned her the night--"

"When I kill people, I don't poison them and let them die quietly, and you know this." The way Scourge talked so calmly, there was no doubt that he was telling the truth about that. Even I knew that Scourge loved to make his victims suffer before he killed them. I don't think he'd try to poison anyone, even if he had a good reason too. Sonic was breathing heavily, but he was able to calm himself down enough to where he loosened his grip on Scourge's throat, but he didn't let him go.

"When I said I was goin' to get back at ya," Scourge continued "I meant that I was plannin' on either beatin' ya up or killin' you. I wouldn't mess with Sal; especially since I found out she was pregnant. I'm not stupid, Blue. I knew what would happened if I killed your wife. I wasn't gonna take that risk."

"If you didn't kill her, then who did?" Sonic asked quietly.

"Someone who's way smarter than me, that's for sure. I'm guessing that the person who really killed Sal wanted to cover his or her tracks and make it look like someone else caused her death. And, whoever this person was, put the blame on me, knowing that we are fierce enemies, and you'd never suspect that person was the killer."

"But..." We all turned towards Cyrus who joined in on the conversation. He walked past Shadow and I, and stopped once he was in the middle of us four. "I don't mean to butt in, but I think I have a theory..." he said.

"Go on." Sonic urged.

"Well...if the killer wanted to cover his tracks and put the blame on Scourge, then that person must know him, right?"

"Right." Shadow agreed nodding a bit.

"So, if that were the case," Cyrus continued "then the person who did this had planned all of this out before making his move. He must've watch you and Scourge closely to make sure that blame went back to 'im. And once this person had everything in place, he committed the crime and went away scotch free. But before leaving, he made sure that he didn't leave anything behind. Therefore we take the bait, and the killer runs off and we're left with a decoy who we think committed the crime."

"It's a very reasonable theory..." Shadow said, mulling over the theory "Still, we don't know who'd be smart enough to do something like this."

"And we don't know why this person wanted to kill mom." I added. Sonic went quiet, but he finally released Scourge and he was standing against the tree. I could tell everyone was thinking of any possible suspects who's be able to do something like this, and put the blame on Scourge. I started to think about all the villains I know on Mobius. Dr. Eggman isn't around anymore...Snively and the Iron Queen are out too...I'm not so sure about the Dark Legion and the other groups...so that leaves the Supression Squad.

"Maybe we should try to focus on the Supression Squad first." I said, breaking the silence.

"Why them?" Sonic asked.

"I thought about the other villains, but they don't seem to be capable of doing something like this."

"Erm...if memory serves me right," Cyrus said "the other members are Alicia, Boomer, Miles and...Buns?"

"Right-o." Scourge said.

"Bun's isn't part of the Supression Squad anymore." Shadow added.

"Fiona would be a member too, but she's dead." Sonic added, cutting a glare at Scourge.

"Hold on," Cyrus cut in "Before we go any further, who's the smartest of the group?"

"Ally, Miles and Boomer." Scourge answered.

"The three of them don't like Scourge at all..." I said.

"Alicia's in charge as far as I know," Sonic added "but she doesn't have complete control over the group..."

"She's not the _real_ person in charge, Blue..." Scourge added calmly.

"Then who is it?"

"Miles. He does most of the plannin' and dirty work. Trust me, I've lived with these guys. I know them better than all of ya."

"Has Miles ever wanted to cause harm to Sonic or Sal?" Cyrus asked.

"He wants to cause harm to all of us as far as I'm concerned!" Sonic snorted "But, I do remember a time where he wanted to kill Sal at one time to hurt me." It was silent again. I was mulling over the information that was just given, and I could tell everyone else was too. Cyrus was the only one who moved, and he started to walk around in a circle in the middle of us, thinking hard.

"Miles is the brains behind the Supression Squad," he said out loud "I remember Dawn telling me about an issue of the comics. It was...I think #195. Miles had planned the entire rebellion against Scourge, along with other schemes. Even Scourge knew he was behind it when he turned super, because he knows that Miles can't stand 'im. I think Miles was plannin' on gettin' rid of Scourge all the time, but each of his attempts failed." He stopped in front of Sonic and Scourge and looked over at the green hedgehog. "He doesn't like you at all, right?"

"Right." Scourge agreed.

"So," Cyrus continued again "maybe, just maybe, during all that time you lived with him, he was probably plottin' your downfall this whole time, but he probably didn't know how to go 'bout it. He tried gettin' rid of ya numerous times, but failed. I believe after all of his failures, he came to one resolve: In order to get rid of a person for good..."

"...You have to kill that person!" I answered before anyone else could.

"Right. But I don't think he wanted to get his hands dirty," Cyrus went on "He needed to kill Scourge somehow without actually murdering him directly. So, here's my guess: He knows about the fierce rivalry Sonic and Scourge has, so he decided to use that to his advantage. He was probably there that day when Scourge made that threat to Sonic before he was locked up. From there, he made his plan. My guess would be that he wanted to somehow provoke Sonic into snapping somehow and gettin' into it with Scourge. But once the fight ends, Scourge wouldn't survive. But what could piss off Sonic so much that he'd end up killing someone out of anger?"

"By harming the ones he loves." Shadow answered.

"Right! So he decided to hurt one of Sonic's loved ones so severely, that it'd provoke Sonic to go on a rampage. And the blame would go back to Scourge since it looked like he was the one who did it. There was enough evidence to make the claim believable! And if Scourge was killed by Sonic, no one would even take notice because all of Mobius doesn't like Scourge either! So to sum it all up..."

"Miles poisoned Sal that night to make it look like Scourge did it!" I exclaimed "And once Sonic found out Scourge did it, he'd kill him with no hesitation!"

"And Miles' mission would be complete, and no one would get in trouble. Therefore, he gets away scotch free and goes back to Moebius to do whatever he wants to do, without Scourge to bother him."

"And since Scourge retook the throne, and there's no doubt that he wants to get rid of him!" Cyrus said "Because as long as Scourge is king..."

"He'll have to follow Scourge's orders whether he wants to or not." Sonic finished.

"Exactly! So our killer isn't Scourge...We've been tricked! The real murderer is Miles!" Cyrus was beaming, proud of himself for being able to solve the mystery one his own. Scourge was quiet, staring at each of us. I could tell that he was pretty pissed that Miles had set him up.

"You're pretty smart, Cyrus," Scourge said "You could make a good detective."

"Well...I'm loathsome to admit this but...I always loved mystery novels. In fact, I wanted to be an investigator when I got older." Cyrus said blushing a little.

"We'll get to that later," Sonic said seriously "Right now, we should locate Miles and ask him a few questions."

"I agree!" I said balling my hands into fists.

"Mind if I joined the pursuit?" Scourge asked. We all turned towards Scourge and stared at him. Since _when_ did Scourge and Sonic team up! It never happened in the comics as far as I'm concerned! And when they did team up, it wasn't friendly, that's for sure!

"Why do you want to help us?" I asked suspiciously.

"C'mon, Cookie," Scourge replied "you know too well that Miles and I have been going back an' forth for a long time. Besides, I want to get back at 'im for doin' this to me." I wanted to argue, but the expression on his face made me bite my tongue. I knew that once Scourge had his sights set on something, he wasn't going to give up easily (I should know. Look how he stalks me so!).

"Well, it's agreed," Sonic said stepping forward "We each have one objective; find or capture Miles."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, Sonic!" Cyrus exclaimed pointing at Scourge "I never agreed to help _him!" _

"We're not helping him," Sonic replied quickly "But we all want to confront Miles. So if Scourge wants to come with us, then we can't stop him. We'll just have to complete the mission." There was no arguing with Sonic. Cyrus wanted to say something, but stopped once he realized that it'd be a waste of breath.

"I'll contact the others to look after the village while we're gone," Sonic said "let's head out now." We all nodded and started to walk out of the village. Sonic was in the lead, Cyrus, Shadow and i were in the middle, and Scourge lagged behind. Cyrus and Shadow made sure that I was within sight during the entire walk, and Sonic kept looking back occasionally to make sure Scourge wasn't up to anything.

But, even with our fears, Scourge behaved himself surprisingly. His head was lowered, his hands were in his jacket pockets, and his glasses were lowered and they covered his eyes completely. I didn't know what was going to happen when we find Miles, but I knew that this mission might be dangerous. I'll just have to hope and pray nothing bad happens (please, when you're dealing with the Supression Squad, something _always_ goes wrong!)...

* * *

**End Notes:**Here's chapter twenty-two. Sorry if it's short, but I couldn't go any further. No, Writer's block hasn't struck me again (surprise suprise), but the chapter was revolving around solving the mystery of Sally's murder.

Next chapters to "A Green Thorn" and "Emerald Kisses" will be delayed. In fact, you probably won't see that next chapters for the stories until spring break is over (unless I get Internet at home during that time frame), and it'll be another week or so before spring break is over. So be prepared for the long wait.

I don't think anyone would be able to review these chapters unless you're new or something. Anyhoo...

Thanks for reading! See you next time, God bless, and Happy Easter! ^^


	24. Welcome Home

**_Chapter Twenty-Three_**

_**Sunday**_

_**Moebius: Forest**_

_**7:45pm**_

**_- - - - -_**

"The castle's just up ahead. It won't be long now..."

"Well, I'm expecting the worse to come..."

"Don't say that, sweetie. I'm sure everything will work out fine." Liar. Sonic knows too well that something bad is bound to happen. Something bad must happen in situations like this. Hell, this is Miles we're talking about. There's no telling what that sneaky, creepy little thing has up his sleeve. Who knows? He probably already knows that we're coming for him as far as we're concerned!

We've been walking for an hour or so. Sonic had Rotor bring up the Star Posts to open the portal to Moebius (Anti-Mobius). We were quite a team: Sonic, Shadow, Cyrus, Scourge and I were on a hot pursuit to catch Miles. He's suspected of poisoning and killing my mother, Sally Acorn. We really didn't figure this out, since at first we thought Scourge was the killer. But Miles knew what he was doing, and he ended up (excuse the pun) out-foxing us all. He decided to put the blame of Sally's murder on Scourge so he'd end up dead, therefore letting Miles take over the Suppression Squad.

Speaking of them, I had yet to meet Dr. Kintobor or Buns (Anti-Bunnie). I know that the both of them are the anti versions of Dr. Robotnik a.k.a Dr. Eggman and Bunnie Rabbot. When Buns developed NIDS (Neuro-Immune Deficiency Sydrome), a fatal disease, Scourge kicked her out of the group and left her for dead (no surprise there). However, Dr. Kintobor saved Buns and put her in a robotic suit known as the Omega Care Unit (possibly Anti-Omega). As far as I know, Buns had stayed with Kintobor thinking that the Supression Squad didn't want her anymore. However, Miles revealed in an issue of the comics that Scourge only wanted her gone, and the rest of the members wanted her back.

It was strange, now that I started to think back. Just a few weeks, possibly two months ago, that I was a human girl living a regular human life on Earth. And then, Sonic appears and whisks me away to all of this madness. I find out that I'm actually an anthropomorphic hedgehog from Mobius, Sonic's my dad and Sally's my mom, I'm a princess, and I have enough Chaos Energy stored in my body to maybe overpower Shadow the Hedgehog! Not only that, but Shadow's my _boyfriend!_All of the characters I've grown to love over the years actually exist! And now, we're on pursuit of Miles, the suspected killer of my mom. That'd be a nice touch in my biography, wouldn't it? That reminds me...

"Hey, dad?" I ran jogged up to Sonic and held his arm.

"What's up, Kiddo?" Sonic asked, looking down at me. "Kiddo" has turned into my new pet name. Sonic keeps calling me that when he addresses me most of the time. I don't mind, though.

"I've been wanting to ask ya somethin'."

"What is it?"

"Well...remember when you said that most of the games and comics are actual events that happened in the past?"

"Yeah?"

"Well...there was a game I played when I still on Earth called _"Sonic Unleashed"_and well...I was wonderin' if you actually turned into a Werehog. I mean, Chip was at the party and it had me wonderin'..."

"It happened."

"Really?? Can you tell me what happened?"

"I never heard of this..." Shadow joined the conversation as he walked up beside Sonic, looking at the both of us. "You turned into a what now?" he asked.

"We'll save that story for later," Sonic said with a laugh. "For now, let's focus on catching Miles and asking him some questions."

"Are we there yet?" Cyrus asked, flying towards us.

"We are now. Look..." Sonic stopped at the end of the forest and pointed to a spooky looking old castle ahead of us. I immediately knew that our first leg of the race of over. But the second leg would be even longer once we go inside...Scourge pushed ahead of us and started walking towards the castle at a moderate pace. He was surprisingly very quiet and well behaved during the whole trip. We didn't hear a thing from him, not even a cough or a sneeze!

The four of us started to follow soon after, but we made sure to lag behind Scourge. Hey, he may had been well behaved, but there was no doubt in our minds that he was undoubtably pissed! And I'm very sure no one wants to be around a pissed hedgehog. Take Sonic and Shadow for example; look at how much damage they do once they're on a rampage! As we walked, I noticed that Sonic was keeping a close eye on Scourge and scanning the surroundings at the same time. He knew that once the Suppression Squad knows we're here, they would attack without hesitation.

The castle was dark on the inside; the only thing that provided us with light were lit torches hung up on the walls. It was practically dark outside; Mobius and Moebius have different timelines. While it was still mid-day back on Mobius, it was basically night time in this dimension. We walked through the castle with extreme caution, scanning our surroundings carefully. Even the slightest movement could tick us off.

It only took us a few minutes before we found the group; they were all gathered in the throne room for some odd reason. Miles, Boomer and Alicia were all in the room. Surprisingly, no one was sitting on the throne. They were standing around in the middle of the room practically. Miles was the first one to notice us; he smiled at us as he stepped forward.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise," he said calmly "brought in some friends of yours, Your Majesty?" (He was addressing Scourge).

"Knock it off, Miles." Scourge said nastily. Sonic stepped in before Scourge could proceed any further (thank God).

"Miles," Sonic said seriously "we need to ask you a few questions."

"About what?" Miles asked, trying to act like he's surprised.

"Did you kill Sally?" I asked quickly. I didn't really understand why I stepped in before Sonic could even ask. I've been wanting to ask him ever since we started the mission. The question just slipped out without my control. Miles' eyes widened for a quick second before he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I didn't think you'd be able to figure it out," he said calmly "but I guess you're smarter than you appear. There's no sense in denying it. I killed Sally."

"Why?" Sonic asked, trying not to shout due to his building anger.

"I'd like to keep the reason to myself, thank you very much," Miles replied "but, I did feel guilty about the whole thing. So, I wanted to make it up to you, Sonic."

"Make it up to me, how?"

"Well, I've been speaking with Dr. Kintobor for a while, and we came to a resolve: Kintobor, Boomer and I have found a way to revive Sally." There were so many emotions going through me all at once when I heard the last bit of that sentence. Excitement, worry, fear...doubt. This could be some kind of trick Miles is pulling on us. I don't think we should trust him...But he said that he's been working with Dr. Kintobor, and as far as I know, he's a good guy. But Miles could be lying...he's as sly as a...well, a fox.

"However," Miles continued, snapping me out of my thoughts "I'll need something from you."

"Name the terms." Sonic said.

"We will talk in private about that," Miles said "Why don't you head for Kintobor. He has everything set up." Sonic raised an eyebrow, giving Miles a skeptical look. However, Sonic was also considering the possibility of Kintobor finding a way to revive his beloved wife. Dr. Kintobor would never lie to him; they were good friends as far as I know. But could he really trust Miles? When Scourge invaded HQ that one time, the whole Suppression Squad wanted Scourge gone, but they ended up trying to get rid of Sonic as well! This could be a trick, and Sonic knew that too well. Still...

"How do we know this isn't a trick?" Shadow demanded.

"I may have been as sly as a fox for the last various encounters, but I do have a heart (very) deep down. Just go over to the hospital and talk to Kintobor." Miles replied coolly.

"I wouldn't trust him Sonic..." I whispered.

"...Let's go." Sonic said finally, grabbing my arm and pulling me away.

"Wh-what?! Wait!" I pulled my arm away from Sonic and stepped back, looking him dead in the eye. "This could be a set-up! Miles could have..."

"But he could be telling the truth." Sonic spoke in a soft tone, but I could hear the eagerness in his voice; in fact, it was in his eyes too. I knew too well that Sonic wanted nothing more than to be a family again. Just him, mom Shad and I...we'd be happy. Trust me, I'd have leap to the chance to revive my mother too, but we couldn't always trust Miles. But...when I saw the look in Sonic's eyes...I couldn't deny him. He's been through so much already...I'd seem really selfish if I turned him down. I released a soft sigh, looked back at Shadow and Cyrus, and then turned back towards Sonic and walked to his side. (Scourge walked off somewhere...I don't know where he went, but I'm glad he finally left)

"Miles," Sonic said flatly "I need you to come with me. I don't trust you entirely."

"Of course," Miles said, as if this wasn't affecting him at all. "I know you don't trust me, after the encounters we've had."

"I can teleport us there." Shadow offered.

"Good. The sooner we get there, the better." Sonic said before he walked off. We followed him, and we were back out of the castle in a matter of minutes.

- - - - -

I knew this would be a long trip, but I didn't know it'd be _this_long...It was after ten; we've been here for...I don't know, three hours? I lost count when the clock hit nine-thirty...Sonic and Shadow were in Kintobor's lab or office, talking about whatever, while I was stuck in a room with Cyrus and Miles. Cyrus and I have been talking a lot, but Miles remained silent. However, I noticed that he kept giving me strange looks. It was like he was studying me for some odd reason...I tried my best to ignore it.

I started to wonder if I'll ever meet Buns. She acts as Kintobor's guardian here. If memory serves me right...she refused Miles' offer to return to the Suppression Squad. But, I could wrong. i mean, once that suit cures her of her NIDS, she might return to the group. Speaking of which, I wonder how someone can get NIDS...I remember from the comics that Maria, Shadow's best friend(as far as I'm concerned) had the disease, and Shadow was created as the cure, but was never put to use.

"How was your life when you were a human?" I quickly turned around to face Miles, who was a seat away from me. He must've moved. He was two or three seats away from me the last time I checked. But I was surprised by the question...It came out of nowhere!

"Um...well, it was boring," I replied simply "Basically the same thing everyday of the year. Go to school five days of the week for ten months, hang out with friends...Not much to tell."

"Did you like your life as a human?"

"I couldn't complain..."

"How were you able to accept Sonic as your father so quickly?"

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Only curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat. And it can kill the fox, too."

"Well then! Let me ask you this, and this conversation will be over."

"What?"

"Why is Scourge so attracted to you?" That is a good question...I could never understand why Scourge likes me so. Hell, I still don't see why Shadow likes me! But...I wonder if it's Soul Tone? Who knows? Soul Tone probably doesn't exist. Is it because I'm the only girl who ever said no to him? Or is it because I'm just different?

"I don't really know the answer to that, honestly," I replied quietly "You might have to ask him." It went quiet again. Miles didn't look at me anymore, and Cyrus and I continued our conversation from before. Another hour or so past, and I was getting tired. I noticed that I started to doze off at around eleven twenty. I was ready to go...I wanted to go back to Knothole, get in bed and go to sleep. Hell, screw the bed. The couch would do just fine!

Just when I was about to give up and just go to sleep, Sonic finally reemerged from behind a door. Once i saw him, I was wide awake again. I just knew that we were finally going home. Instead, he walked up to me, held my hand and pulled me away from Cyrus and Miles.

"I know you're tired," he said apologetically "but I have to stay longer."

"So I have to stay here all night?" I whined, hoping that I wouldn't stay here.

"No," Sonic replied smiling "Shadow's taking you home. But...I need to ask you a quick question..."

"What is it?"

"Let's say that we could bring Sal back to life. Would you like if she came back, or do you want it to remain how it is now, where it's just the two of us?" I opened my mouth to say that I'd rather have Sally come back and we could be a family, but closed it when i started to think about it more...

Ever since I've came back with Sonic, I've been having such a great time with him. We bond, have fun, and we're happy together. Would that bond break when Sally comes back? will Sonic and i be able to hang out like father and daughter should if my mom is revived? Still...there are other times when I believe Sonic is lonely, even when I'm around. i know he really loves Sally, and I know he'd love nothing more than to have her back. As much as Sonic wants me to be happy, I want him to be happy too. And if bringing Sally back would make him happy...all of his wishes would come true. I thought about ti some more, and I knew what my answer would finally be...

"I want her back, dad," I replied silently "But, I'm a little worried too...I mean...you and I have been bonding a lot without Sally, and I'm a little afraid that our bond might break if she comes back...But...I want you happy, dad. And I know that your only wish is for us to be a family. I want us to be a family too, but I can't help but to have a few worries...I mean, what if she changed? What if there's a drawback to the revival? What if..." I couldn't finish. I was too choked up to continue the sentence.

"You and I will always have our bond, Kiddo," sonic said tenderly as he hugged me tight "Remember the pictures? Even when Sal was alive, we spent almost every hour together. You wanted to be with me most of the time...Sal can't replace you, and don't think she will. I love you both dearly, and both of you are equal. Though you're almost a grown women, I still want you to have a mother..."

Nothing could explain how I felt right now. Hell, even I didn't know! tears were rolling down my cheeks, but I wasn't sad. I was smiling, but I wasn't happy...Sonic calmed me down while wiping my tears away before Shadow appeared next to him. Sonic said that he'd see me the next morning if he could. If not, then he'll be back when he can. Sonic bid us goodnight and gave me a reassuring kiss to my forehead before Shadow teleported Cyrus and I back home. Cyrus could fly home on his own, but Shadow made sure that I was in the castle safely. He gave me a goodnight kiss before he disappeared into the night, leaving me alone in this huge castle.

I didn't do much when I got back. I explored as much of the castle I could (Shad followed me), making sure that there wasn't anyone else here and making sure no one trashed the place while it was empty. By the time I got to the throne room, I nearly collasped. I chaos Controlled my way back to my room and threw myself onto my bed, not even bothering with changing into my pajamas. Shad crawled up to me and cuddled up next to me before he too, drift off to sleep.

I just hoped that I'd be able to see Sonic the next day...

- - - - -

It was after eleven in the morning by the time I woke sun was shining through my open window, making my room pleasantly warm. My clothes were all wrinkled from the night before. However...I wasn't in my bed. Instead I was lying on my stomach, on the floor. Great. Just what I need to start the morning! I must've fell out of bed last night...

Yawning, I sat up and scratched an itchy spot on my right ear. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day out today. Maybe I'd hang out with Shadow later...Standing up, I looked down at my bed to see Shad looking at me. I gave him a quick pat, making his tail wag a little. I giggled a bit. Shad always made me feel better whenever I'm done. But then he suddenly barked twice before jumping off of my bed and running out of my room. He must be heading downstairs...

I didn't think much of it, so I followed him. I had to go downstairs anyway; I wanted to see if Sonic got back last night. I'm usually very sluggish in the morning, even when I'm eager to search the castle for my beloved blue blur. Nearly stumbling at the door-frame, I proceeded downstairs. I was going to look in the parlor and the kitchen first. If he's not there, I'll look all over the castle.

Just before I could go investigate, Sonic came out of the door. He smiled at me as he walked up to me and hugged me tightly. He asked me if I slept well last night while he was gone.

"Slept like a baby." I remarked.

"Good," Sonic said, kissing my forehead "Anyhoo, I want you to meet someone." Before I could ask, another person came out fo the parlor. She was a female Mobian chipmunk in her early twenties. She wore a long blue dress and blue sandals. She had long flowing hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and she had big, beautiful, warm eyes. Her smile was sweet, and she had a friendly face. I knew who she was automatically, but I was completely frozen out of shock. There's no way she could be...

"Dawn," Sonic was the only one I could hear at this point "this is your mother, Sally."

* * *

**End Notes:**Ahhh...It feels so good to write after a long break, don't you agree?

Sorry 'bout the long wait, but here the chapter. I apologize if it doesn't look good, but I was kinda in a rush. But, I did my best...

Review if you wish, but don't be mean, please? The next chapter of _"A Green Thorn"_ will be up shortly.

Thanks for reading! See you next time, and God bless!

(P.S. Sorry for spelling "Suppression" wrong this whole time! Also, I'm using your advice, and I'm using spellcheck now.)


	25. Conclusion: He's Baaaack!

**_Conclusion..._**

"Dawn? Can you give me a glass of water, please?"

"Yeah. I'll be right back." Things have been going pretty well ever since Sally came home. Sonic explained to me that Sally was still a little weak because of the revival, but as along as we take care of her and give her daily vitamins, she could recover fairly quickly. Sonic has been especially happy with the whole things. He's been smiling all day. I thought it was cute. Anyways, things were still the same. I was helping Sally get adjusted to a few things. She was a little surprised to see a puppy running around the castle, but she bonded to Shad quickly.

I wanted to talk with Sally badly...I wanted to know what was my birth like, how did she die exactly, her past relationships with Sonic, I wanted to know everything! Problem was, she seemed a bit sluggish lately...Sonic said I had nothing to worry about. It was a minor side-affect Dr. Kintobor warned him about, but I can't help but to worry. As I was getting Sally her glass of water, I started to think on how my life would change from here on out. So many things happened in so little time...It was only mere weeks ago that I was living a normal life as a human...Now, I'm a princess of a whole planet with a hero as a dad. And I still can't believe i was able to take all of this so well...

I put a few cubes of ice into the glass, since Sally loves to have her water practically ice cold (she told me). We were the same way with that one; Whenever I had a drink, it always had to be cold. I can't stand cold drinks. I went back into the parlor where Sally was still resting. She had Shad on her lap, petting him slowly and cooing at him. I sat next to her on the couch before giving her the glass. It was still a little awkward to be around her a bit, but I was still happy she was here.

"He's so adorable," Sally cooed, cuddling Shad a bit "you said you received him on your birthday, correct?"

"Yeah," I replied sheepishly "Shadow gave him to me. That was his name at first, but we shortened it because it was too confusing having two Shadows."

"Sonic told me that you are in a relationship with Shadow. Is that true?" _How did he know..?_

"Um...well, yes...B-but, how did he know? I never told him!"

"Sonic told me he saw the connection between you two at your party when you danced with him. He didn't say anything. He decided to let nature take its course."

"Oh."

"Something's up, you two." Sally and I turned towards Sonic, who had rushed into the parlor with his communicator still in his hands. His eyes were widened a bit, and worry was written all over his face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I just got a call from HQ," Sonic replied "Tails told me they received a message. When I asked him who it was from, he stuttered and disconnected." Sonic's ears folded back. "I think something's bad about to happen..."

"We better go to Headquarters then." Sally said standing up.

"Sal, you can't..." Sonic walked over to Sally and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You've just come back. You're still a little weak too...don't rush your body like that..."

"But I have to, Sonic!" Sally protested "It's true i haven't recovered, but I am still queen and a member of the Freedom Fighters regardless. It's my duty to be informed of thins like this, no matter the circumstances!" I can tell by Sonic's eyes that he wanted to argue with her, but he couldn't. He knew deep down that Sal was right. Sally was the most respected leader of the Freedom fighters. She was a member of the team until the end. Sonic turned towards me for a brief second before he sighed and released Sally's shoulders.

"Alright," he sighed "let's go. I'm pretty sure you're all eager to see what the message is."

"I can get us there in no time," I said proudly, walking towards the two "I'll just Chaos Control us there."

"Do your thing, Kiddo." Sonic winked. I giggled, pulled my Chaos Emerald out of my quills, and the three of us soon disappeared in a flash of light.

**Freedom Fighter HQ**

The building was packed. Everyone was crowded around a large computer screen, chattering like monkeys (no pun intended). Sonic, Sally and I weaved our way through the crowd until we made it to the computer. Tails and Rotor were at the keyboard; Rotor was typing away crazily while Tails stood there, trembling a bit.

"What's going on?" Sonic demanded. Once everyone heard Sonic's voice, the talking ceased almost immediately. I moved over towards Brendon, Cyrus, Evra and Shadow, who were on the left side of the computer.

"As Tails told you before," Rotor said "we received a message from someone...The problem is...the person who sent it was...I-it was...." Rotor's voice trailed off.

"C'mon Rotor!" Sonic exclaimed, obviously impatient "Who was it?!"

"Maybe you should see for yourself..." Rotor then pressed a few buttons on the keyboard. After that, the screen came to life, and the first thing we saw a man, a human man, sitting in a chair. He was fat, with a small head and long arms and legs. He was bald, but had a bush of a mustache and black goggles rested on his head. You couldn't see his eyes; they were hidden behind a small pair of blue glasses. He was wearing a red suit, white gloves, black boots, and had a bit pink nose. He was sitting in the chair crossed legged; the background looked like he was in a ship of some sort.

"Good day to you all," he said before chuckling evilly "I know it's been an awfully long time since we've seen each other, and I'm sure you all thought I was gone for good." He laughed again. "But you thought wrong! I am very much alive! And I am announcing my comeback! Here me and here me well, Sonic the Hedgehog; you only have a matter of a few days before you see me again; the infamous Doctor Eggman!!" He laughed again, but he was loud and was laughing hysterically. And, just as the screen went on, it went off in just a second.

There was an eerie silence in the whole building. No one moved, no one spoke, no one didn't even blink. I held on to Shadow's arm tightly, and I moved closer to him for comfort. I was scared, and I had a good reason to be. It wasn't long before Sonic yelled in anger and slammed his fist on the keyboard, making everyone jump and a few gasp.

"I should've known," he growled "I should've known he'd come back!!" I'm sure everyone wanted to say something to cam Sonic down, but no one dared. Everyone, including myself, knew Sonic had a temper on him when provoked. But everyone had only one thing on their minds; _Dr. Eggman was back, and we were in trouble!!_

_

* * *

_

**End Notes: **Yup. This is the REAL conclusion to the series.

I know I probably left a major cliff hanger to this one, but I'm thinking about starting a sequel to this if I see fit. If not, then I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Review if you wish; no pressure. But don't be mean, 'kay guys?

Also, due to me having to go on a three-day trip next week, there's no doubt that the next chapter to _"A Green Thorn"_ will be delayed.

Thank you for reading! See ya later!


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